By the time I got out of my bed on Sunday it was already much later than I had intended getting up but having already been at Riverside Nature Park the previous day I decided I would walk to Balmossie to get some birding done. There was a slim chance of adding something to my year-list and my expectations of actually doing so were also relatively low. However, as the weather forecast was reasonably decent with the overcast conditions meant to clear to sunshine as the afternoon progressed, it would at the very least be an enjoyable walk.
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Dunlin
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I headed out just after 1030 and headed in the direction of Swannie Ponds first. On the way there I noted Herring Gull, Feral Pigeon, Robin, Carrion Crow, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Magpie and Blue Tit. Things were relatively quiet at the ponds with almost no gulls around. There were the usual Coots and Mallards as well as the Mute Swan family and a single Tufted Duck. The Coots were actually still building up a nest just a few feet off the side of the path and bringing in 'food' for 4 youngsters which were almost full-sized though the wing feathers were still 'in pin' and had some growing still to do. The 'food' unfortunately included bits of crisp packet and other inedible litter. Thankfully, neither of the 2 birds I watched attempting to eat the pieces managed to swallow them, though given that in the space of a few minutes I had seen it happen twice I suspect it is inevitable that one of them will manage to swallow something it shouldn't, which likely won't lead to a happy ending.
I headed next for Eastern Cemetery. Swallow, Chaffinch, House Sparrow and House Martin were seen on the way but I only managed to add a Greenfinch when I got there. It won't be too long before the cemetery is full of 'winter thrushes' though. I reached the Stannergate around 1130. There was a small gull roost in behind the fence at the end of the docks but I only managed to find Black Headed Gull there to be able to add something to the day's list. There was a small party of Razorbills in the river, close in to shore. A few Sandwich Terns were noisily fishing a bit further out. A cyclist stopped briefly to ask what I was seeing and mentioned she'd spoken to someone further on who said they'd seen a Great Northern Diver earlier. There were a few Grey Herons in the shallows and a Cormorant was seen diving for fish nearby. A Pied Wagtail flew past and I found two Turnstones along the water's edge almost invisible against the pebbles.
A Lesser Black Backed Gull was stood on the beach a bit further on, with a Curlew nearby down by the water's edge. A Grey Wagtail, most likely a migrant bird stopping for food, flew past me and landed among the pebbles. I spotted a few Goosander out on the Tay. Despite the weather forecast being for sunshine, the sky was growing darker by the minute and ominously it looked like it was going to rain very soon. As I wasn't exactly dressed for rain and there was no obvious shelter anywhere within walking distance, this wasn't a particularly welcome development. As I was thinking about my limited options, a gull flew past. I wasn't really paying attention but my subconscious was and made me turn to look and grab a photo or two. This was very fortunate as the bird was an adult Mediterranean Gull, a new bird for my Dundee list for 2021. I grabbed a few photos and watched the bird land along towards the Stannergate end of the harbour with the other gulls already there.
An Oystercatcher was added before the rain began. It was a relatively heavy shower of fine rain (slightly larger than drizzle). I was near the sailing club huts when I felt the first drops so I tucked myself in behind the last shed in the row as the wind was from the southwest and I knew that I would stay a bit drier out of the wind than I would if I continued on. Thankfully, it didn't last too long and I continued on afterwards, quite dry. I spotted a distant flock of ducks heading upriver past Tayport. Photos showed it to be mostly Wigeon, though with a small group of Pintail tacked on the end. Great Black Backed Gull, Guillemot, Redshank and a flyover Meadow Pipit joined the growing list as I reached Douglas Terrace.
As I neared the slight bend in the road, I looked up and saw a large bird just over the river. It turned out to be a rather unexpected (and relatively late) Osprey carrying a freshly caught fish. Another nice bonus bird. Further on, I watched a Razorbill hunting in the harbour by the castle though the Guillemot close by didn't look quite so spritely. Offshore I added a Shag, a few Eiders and 3 Red Throated Divers, 2 landing just upriver and the 3rd further to the east. These were also new birds for my 2021 Dundee list. The local Starlings milled around nearby. As I continued on along towards Balmossie I spotted a large skein of geese very distantly out over the mouth of the river. The timing suggested that they were most likely the first arrival of Pink Footed Geese for this 'winter'. I estimated the flock size as around 100 birds and counting later at home from the photos I found I was within 10% of the actual number.
There had been a fair bit of excitement happening over at Fife Ness with a Pallid Harrier (a county first) being seen and videoed arriving in off the sea by Matt Jackson, Dan Burt and George Dunbar (Matt's account can be read here - https://mattjacksonbirdwatching.blogspot.com/2021/09/mainland-fifes-first-pallid-harrier.html ). I was going to post a 'heads up' on the geese as they would likely pass over the Crail area but as it wasn't a Fife sighting (yet) and a bit less exciting than the Harrier I decided not to. As things turned out, Matt & co saw the skein themselves anyway confirming my suspicion of the species.
I added a Gannet fishing out over the river before finally reaching Balmossie. The tide was already quite far in which did make things a bit easier, though there were fewer birds around than there would have been had I arrived a bit earlier. I found a single Knot and a couple of Dunlin among the roosting Redshanks and Turnstones but nothing more exciting. Offshore were lots of Mute Swans and a decent sized flock of Wigeon. Another smaller skein of Pink Footed Geese appeared over the river heading west.
I spoke to an older couple who it transpired were the Great Northern Diver finders. As the conversation to this point had determined that they were keen but relative beginners I asked if they had photos of the Diver which they did. It turned out to be a Guillemot rather than a Diver. I've seen the same misidentification recently on BirdForum by someone relatively local though seemingly more experienced which suggests that more field-guides should maybe highlight sizes relative to common species (Blue Tit, Blackbird, Mallard, Herring Gull, Mute Swan etc).
A bit later than I had intended I decided to tackle the long walk home. This did prove slightly more productive than usual with Chiffchaff, Common Gull, Dunnock, Goldfinch and Rock Pipit noted along with a Grey Seal and a Red Admiral butterfly. I ended the day on 51 species of birds of which two were new for my Dundee 2021 list (Mediterranean Gull & Red Throated Diver). The Osprey and Pintail were also good birds to get for Dundee and it was good to see the returning Pinkies arriving from the north. All in all, a surprisingly good day out.
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Coot
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Coot
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Coot
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Coot
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Magpie
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Magpie
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Magpie
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Razorbill
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Sandwich Tern
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Grey Heron
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Sandwich Tern
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Razorbill
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Cormorant
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Grey Heron
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Sandwich Tern
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Razorbill
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Turnstone
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Lesser Black Backed Gull
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Common Gull
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Sandwich Tern
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Black Headed Gull
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Oystercatcher
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Carrion Crow
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Curlew
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Goosander
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Curlew
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Mediterranean Gull
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Mediterranean Gull
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Goosander
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Razorbill
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Razorbill
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Guillemot
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Redshank
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Osprey
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Osprey
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Osprey
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Sandwich Tern
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Common Gull, Black Headed Gull & Sandwich Tern
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Turnstone & Redshank
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Guillemot
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Guillemot
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Herring Gull & Red Throated Diver
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Razorbill
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Razorbill
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Razorbill
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Razorbill
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Gannet
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Wigeon
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Wasp sp.
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Wasp sp.
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Eider
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Lesser Black Backed Gull
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Carrion Crow
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Pied Wagtail
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Knot (& Turnstone)
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Redshank
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Eider
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Turnstone
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Turnstone
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Pink Footed Goose
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Redshank & Turnstone
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Black Headed Gull
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Knot (& Turnstone)
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Swallow
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Wigeon
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Turnstone
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Mute Swan
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Mute Swan
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Lesser Black Backed Gull
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Dunlin, Turnstone & Redshank
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Wasp sp.
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Starling & Feral Pigeon
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Sandwich Tern & Black Headed Gull
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Shag
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Razorbill
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Razorbill
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Razorbill
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Razorbill
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Razorbill
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Sandwich Tern
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Birds - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Common Gull, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Eider, Gannet, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Knot, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mediterranean Gull, Mute Swan, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Pintail, Razorbill, Redshank, Red Throated Diver, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Sandwich Tern, Shag, Starling, Swallow, Tufted Duck, Turnstone, Wigeon, Woodpigeon.
Butterflies - Red Admiral.
Mammals - Grey Seal.
