0967 : Going For Gropper (24/4/22)

Great Spotted Woodpecker

As Saturday had been quite successful, I was keen to get out and about again on Sunday. With Spring migration well underway there were still some species I could hope to run into. Having failed to find any Grasshopper Warblers at Clatto with Lainy the previous day, I decided I would try my back-up location for the species in Dundee. I had heard one 'reeling' last year on a bit of waste ground behind Sainsbury's and as I can count 'heard only' birds on my Dundee 140 list, if my luck was in then an unseen 'reeling' bird would suffice. Anything else would be a welcome bonus. As these birds are often active around dawn and dusk I decided on an early start, however there was an unexpected fly in the ointment first....

I woke up slightly before the alarm was due to go off and could hear what sounded like someone trying to get in my next door neighbour's front door. There was, but it turned out not to be my new neighbour. I called the police but the person who had been trying to get in, using the rather buckled letterbox as a rather poor lever, had gone when they arrived. The police phoned me around 0530 for more information and once they had, I got organised and headed out a bit later than planned at around 0615. It was a fairly typical selection of species noted on my walk to the Swannie Ponds with Chiffchaff and Collared Dove the best of the initial bunch. A Grey Squirrel was a slight surprise by the water storage building on Clepington Road.

The usual suspects were seen at the ponds before I continued on down the Kingsway and then down to the path along the Dighty Burn between Douglas and Whitfield. A Dipper flew low up the burn and a Blackcap sang from the opposite bank. Continuing on I added a Pheasant, Song Thrush and Willow Warbler before getting good views of a recently fledged Grey Heron on the other side of the burn. I found my first Roe Deer of the day in an area where I often find them not far from the small footbridge. Another one peered at me from among the reeds as I walked back to the path with a pair of Reed Buntings perched behind. Long Tailed Tit, Buzzard and both Grey and Pied Wagtails were noted a little further on.

Another pair of Roe Deer were seen on the other side of the fence and a Rabbit was also noted nearby. I crossed the dual carriageway and started along the small track that runs along to the south of West Pitkerro industrial estate. As I walked along I thought I could just make out the sound of a Grasshopper Warbler but I couldn't be certain. However, a little further on I had confirmation that it was indeed a Grasshopper Warbler (103) as a bird reeled loudly from within a small stand of reeds. I couldn't see the bird at all but I caught a couple of glimpses as it flew to another stand of reeds before returning shortly afterwards. Not brilliant views by any manner of means but the main target bird was safely on the list. A couple of Common Gulls circled round overhead before I moved on again.

I wanted to check out the track north from behind Clearwater Park now that there was a chance of there being some warblers around as the habitat did appear quite promising for a variety of species on my previous visit. I found my way to the path I'd walked along previously to reach the track north. Yellowhammers and Linnets were seen, with the latter collecting nesting materials. A Skylark was heard and a few more Pheasants were seen along the edge of the field to the north. I scanned over the field to the south and picked up some distant hirundines hawking for insects in the general area of the Dighty. I eventually managed to get an ID on one of them - a very welcome House Martin (104), my second tick of the day.

As I headed north along the track I wanted to investigate a Swallow zipped over rather low. The track did provide a few warblers but only the expected Blackcaps, Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs. I'll have to make another visit to try for some of the others. I added Stock Dove and Rook as I walked back to West Pitkerro Industrial Estate where a Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen drumming. I added Goldcrest to the list along with Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell butterflies while I spent more time trying to catch a glimpse of the Grasshopper Warbler which was still reeling when I returned to where I'd (just) seen it earlier. It proved to be very adept at staying hidden. However, I discovered there was a second bird which answered the first bird's song and which turned out to be slightly more showy.

After a while I moved on again. Dipper and Blackcap were seen by the junction of the two burns and I had reasonably good views of a few other Dippers further on as well as a few other species, including another House Martin much closer than the earlier one. A warbler which looked very pale caught my attention and later at home when looking through the photos I thought it might be a Siberian Chiffchaff. However, being rather tired having walked a total of 30 miles and on less than 8 hours sleep in total over the course of the 2 days I focussed on just the apparent greyness of the bird rather than some of the more pertinent features. It turned out to be a 'northern'-like Willow Warbler. There was nothing new added along the rest of the Dighty stretch and I decided to head for Eastern Cemetery though I wasn't expecting to find anything out of the ordinary there, and I wasn't disappointed when that proved to be the case.

I continued on to Baxter Park and managed to add Siskin at Spring Grove. There was a reasonable mix of birds there but I didn't linger too long as the temperature had dropped as the sky had by this time clouded over. I headed for home and added a Sparrowhawk just as I entered my street taking my total number of species for the day to 49, including 2 new for the year/Dundee 140 lists (in bold). My Dundee 140 list is slowly edging upwards. There are still a few migrants I can reasonably expect to catch up with soon but after that things start to get trickier, though hopefully Autumn will also add a few more too. Although we aren't even into May yet, it feels like a lull is coming soon when there will be few new additions to my Dundee 140 list before things start to pick up again.

Mallard

Long Tailed Tit

Roe Deer

Buzzard

Yellowhammer

Swallow

Stock Dove

Pied Wagtail

Grasshopper Warbler

Small Tortoiseshell

Reed Bunting

Dipper

Willow Warbler

Grey Heron

House Martin

Blackcap

Siskin

Birds - Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Coot, Dipper, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Grasshopper Warbler, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Siskin, Skylark, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Tufted Duck, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.

Butterflies - Orange Tip, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell.

Mammals - Grey Squirrel, Rabbit, Roe Deer.

0966 : Expedition To The Outer Limits (23/4/22)

Tree Sparrow

Dundee has a variety of bird habitats within the city boundaries and over the past 2 and a bit years I've spent a lot more time exploring them than I had previously. Some have proven to be hidden gems and others have been quite reliable for providing a nice mix of species. Along the way, I've found a few unexpected birds as have others (including Lainy, Keith, Mark and Ian etc) which have ensured that familiarity didn't end up breeding contempt despite visiting the same places repeatedly. I recently decided to check exactly where Dundee's official boundaries were and in doing so I discovered that there was an area out to the west of Camperdown Park that was mostly farmland - something in rather short supply within the parts of the city I had explored before, with one or two exceptions. Given my target of 140 species for the year I knew I had to do a spot of investigating.

With Spring migration underway there were slightly more pressing matters to attend to. Lainy discovered that there were Grasshopper Warblers in the vicinity of Clatto Reservoir a couple of years ago and we were both keen to see if they had returned again for another Summer. I planned to get up early and head for Clatto on Saturday morning again. I was mildly optimistic I'd find one and there was also a chance of a Swallow or a House Martin over the reservoir itself. With a bit of luck the rather elusive (for me) Little Grebe might also decide to put in an appearance.

An 0500 start saw me heading towards the northwestern corner of the city in the pre-dawn light. Thankfully, the weather forecast looked like mist wouldn't be an issue this time around, unlike the previous week's visit. Common Gull was the first minor surprise of the morning with a few on the football pitches at Fairmuir Park. I had decided to forego checking the Ardler Village pond in favour of getting to Clatto as early as possible. Goldcrest, Song Thrush and Collared Dove were the other minor highlights on the walk to the outskirts of the city. Pheasant, Yellowhammer, Skylark, Willow Warbler and Linnet were noted in the first rays of the rising sun along the dirt track up towards the reservoir from Strathmartine Road.

A Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard shortly before the first Chiffchaff of the morning was spotted. I had a relatively close encounter with a Roe Deer I spooked just prior to running into Lainy who was also out looking for Grasshopper Warblers. She had drawn a blank up until this time so we searched some of the places where we'd had them in the past. Blackcap, Redwing and Long Tailed Tit were noted before we surprised one of the local Foxes which fled out of sight. Mute Swan, Rook, Stock Dove, Great Crested Grebe and Lesser Black Backed Gull were all added to the list when we checked out the rather quiet reservoir.

A Buzzard over the trees to the north and a Pied Wagtail were next onto the list but it appeared we were out of luck with regards our main target bird. With the species being reported from all over the country over the previous few days this was disappointing. We added Grey Wagtail and Reed Bunting as well as Mallard, Siskin and Rabbit before dog walkers started to appear. Although it wasn't misty, it wasn't particularly warm and once we checked out the area near the water tower we decided to call it a morning at Clatto. Lainy headed for home and I headed for Camperdown Park on my way to check out the unexplored (by me) area beyond.

A Goldcrest hovered in front of my face in Templeton Woods as it picked insects from the underside of a leaf. I managed to find a Bullfinch as I cut across the former golf course at Camperdown Park before heading out onto the very narrow path along the outer edge of the boundary wall towards the junction for the road to Liff. I narrowly avoiding being struck by the wing mirror of a speeding truck as I headed down the hill. I looked up to see my first Swallow of 2022 hawking for insects above the field edges opposite and along the tree line above the road. Having missed out on any additions at Clatto this was a welcome sight.

I walked along the road westwards towards Liff village. Movement in the edge of the field to the south of the road turned out to be a Brown Hare which stood motionless allowing me to get a couple of photos before it turned tail and headed further into the cover provided by the field. Out beyond Liff village I had a look at Gray Den from the bridge. It wasn't obvious how accessible the Den might be and a return visit may be necessary to see if anything interesting is hiding there. A Peacock butterfly posed nicely on a wall as I neared the very edge of the city limits. Chirping from the bushes by the T-junction gave me my second 'new' bird of the day with a couple of Tree Sparrows. I usually get these birds on passage over Riverside Nature Park in Autumn though Keith had a singing bird there recently, so it was good to catch up with some actual Dundee 'residents'.

I thought I had a potential Wheatear from the road further down towards Benvie and I ventured outside the city boundary to try to verify the ID but I suspect it was actually a Skylark distorted by the heat shimmer over the field. More walking added a Tree Sparrow with nest material and a Jay near the former Liff Hospital site as I wandered back towards the parts of Dundee I usually frequent. Rather than heading back to Camperdown Park I decided to head past Denhead of Gray instead. Small Tortoiseshell and Orange Tip butterflies were noted before I crossed the Kingsway near the former Swallow Hotel. I wandered along the path that skirts the northern edge of the Technology Park. I toyed with the idea of visiting the Nature Park but having already done a lot of walking I decided against it.

Instead I headed for Ninewells Community Garden where a Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen on the otherwise relatively quiet feeders. I then continued on to Balgay Hill where Coal Tit, Treecreepers and Nuthatch were all to be found. The Treecreepers in particular showed rather nicely at times. I eventually headed for the Law in the hope of catching some raptor action from the top though a single Buzzard being harassed to the north was the only one seen before I called it a day at last around 1530 and headed for home with a rather sore ankle and 2 Dundee 140 (and year) ticks (in bold) among the 50 species of birds recorded (plus 3 of butterfly and 5 of mammal), having walked just over 19 miles. Although I failed to find the main target species for the day, it was an enjoyable day's birding.

*As posting the photos through the body of the blog has led to no increase in views (whether it has had any bearing on the reduction in the numbers which has happened since making changes, I have no idea), but it has led to an increase in the time taken to produce a post. As a result, I have decided to go back to the previous layout with the photos after the text but before the lists, which is less labour-intensive.

Yellowhammer

Linnet

Pheasant

Roe Deer

Stock Dove

Jay

Pied Wagtail

Starling

Rabbit

Swallow

Brown Hare

Willow Warbler

Song Thrush

Peacock

Tree Sparrow

Orange Tip

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Common Wasp

Wren

Treecreeper

Robin

Blackbird

Nuthatch

Buzzard & Carrion Crow

Birds - Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Crested Grebe, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Mute Swan, Nuthatch, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Redwing, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Siskin, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Tree Sparrow, Treecreeper, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.

Butterflies - Orange Tip, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell.

Mammals - Brown Hare, Fox, Grey Squirrel, Rabbit, Roe Deer.

0965 : Blue Sky, Buzzards And Blackcaps (20/4/22)

Magpie

I decided I would make an early start and head up the Law on Wednesday morning to do a spot of vis-migging. I intended to continue on elsewhere afterwards, to Clatto or Riverside Nature Park via a return home to shed some of my early morning 'warm' clothing. The weather forecast was relatively decent which I hoped might at the very least give me a chance at adding a Swallow or House Martin to my Dundee 140 list. With sunrise around 0545, I headed out around 0540 for the 15 minute walk to the top of the hill.

It was standard fayre on the walk to the hill with nothing of any particular note encountered. Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Magpie were all quickly noted from the top of the hill. There seemed to be a band of fog over a large chunk of Fife to the southwest which would potentially impact on movement by birds from that direction. A Blackcap began singing around 0620 from the west side of the hill. A Linnet flew past heading west. There appeared to be very little actual migration movements happening which made for a rather boring first hour or so though a Meadow Pipit was heard rather faintly overhead followed 10 minutes or so later by a Siskin. An Oystercatcher was heard from the north and a Peregrine was seen perched on Cox's Stack.

Herring Gull

Linnet

Goldfinch

 

A second Meadow Pipit and a second Siskin were noted but by 0740 it was clear that if there were any birds moving, they were either too high to see against the blue sky or they weren't actually anywhere near the hill. I did add Bullfinch, Song Thrush and Jackdaw before deciding to head for home to shed a layer of clothing then head out again to somewhere with more birds. I reached the edge of the allotments on the east side and spotted movement in a small tree at the top of the steps. It turned out to be a Blackcap and for a pleasant change it was a female. With the blue sky behind and the sun on the bird the photo opportunities were good and I made the most of them. A second female and a male were also in the same tree and I spent around 15 minutes watching them. Dunnock, Blackbird and Chaffinch all shared the same tree during the same period

Carrion Crow

Blackcap

Thanks to the Blackcaps my mood had lifted and I decided I might as well try to photograph the Willow Warbler singing from near the toilets. A Robin showed nicely though the Willow Warbler proved rather less co-operative. I got talking to a dog walker who usually has House Martins nesting on her house over the summer which are very likely the birds I see over the church on Kinghorne Road when I choose to route that way on my walk to work.  After our chat she continued on up the hill and I wandered round the back to the area near the picnic tables. A pair of Jays flew over and I could hear a pair of Blackcaps singing from either side of the road. I continued on up the road to the top of the hill again and added Stock Dove to the relatively short list for the day from there.

Blackcap

Around 0915 the first Buzzard of the day put in an appearance, displaying to the north of the hill. A Great Spotted Woodpecker called from the trees somewhere down by the east side allotments. The next 3 hours or so were spent watching the Buzzards displaying as well as distant views of Sparrowhawk and out to the west what appeared to be the escaped Saker Falcon seen originally in February, as well as a couple of slightly closer views of a Peregrine. A Small Tortoiseshell butterfly flitted around nearby and a Rook also overflew. I did finally spot a couple of definite migrants as a pair of Sand Martins headed past westwards. A Meadow Pipit was finally seen too and Long Tailed Tits were heard.

Buzzard

Blue Tit

Peregrine

Small Tortoiseshell

Carrion Crow & Buzzard

Willow Warbler

I finally called it a day around 1330 when the haar that had been making its way slowly upriver for a few hours started to creep over the top of the hill as well. It had never been as warm as it had been forecast to be so the added cooling effects of the haar meant that there was no benefit to be had by sticking around any longer. I headed for home having seen or heard a total of 37 species. Despite the distinct lack of variety I did manage to get some rather nice photos of Blackcap, Magpie and Buzzard in particular. As it turned out, Fife seemed to be the place to be for decent migrants with a Blue Headed Wagtail and a Spotted Crake both seen on the day - possibly forced down by the foggier conditions over Fife. That's birding though...

Birds - Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Meadow Pipit, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, (escaped Saker Falcon), Sand Martin, Siskin, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Willow Warbler, Wren.

Butterflies - Small Tortoiseshell.