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| Skylark |
For the third and final leg of my second long weekend in a row's birding I intended to start with a spot of vis-migging at Dundee Law, then move on to check Balgay Hill and then Ninewells Arboretum before reaching Riverside Nature Park in time to catch the tide receding. I was more tired from the previous two days exertions than I had thought I was and my interrupted sleep on Saturday night wasn't helping to get me out of my bed. The relatively strong winds didn't make standing at the highest point in the city seem particularly like fun so that didn't help either so I spent a little longer lying in my bed than originally planned. However, I still managed to get out before 0650 with a slightly amended plan for the day's birding.
A Collared Dove was an unusual bird to start the list off with as I stepped outside. A Chiffchaff was heard as I passed the Law along Kinghorne Road. A Jay and an overflying Meadow Pipit were noted as I passed the Friary on Tullideph Road. A few minutes later a Sparrowhawk was seen circling over the allotments between Scott Street and Pentland Avenue. Goldcrest was added as I passed through Balgay Park and a Bullfinch pair and Grey Squirrel were seen at Ninewells Arboretum. I reached Riverside Nature Park around an hour after leaving the house.
The tide was already receding but scanning through the waders and other birds in the bay failed to find anything of note. There was still one Greylag Goose out on the water but otherwise things were mostly as expected for the time of year. As I wandered into the park I bumped into Keith and we wandered back to the hide to see if Keith's scope could find us anything out of the ordinary. A single Black Tailed Godwit was as good as it got. We then headed back into the park adding Bullfinch, Meadow Pipit, Skylark and Linnets to the list.
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Shelduck & Redshank
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| Chiffchaff |
The wind was making the birding less enjoyable than I had hoped it would be. I wandered to the eastern end with Keith then did another circuit of the park as Keith headed for home. A pair of Collared Doves was encountered a few times and Stock Dove was also spied a couple of times. The previously very active amphibian pond was a lot quieter with only a single Smooth Newt seen coming up for air, though there was a lot of Toad spawn to be seen but no Toads. A Buzzard and a Moorhen were seen from the Lochan before I decided I'd had enough of birding at the park for the morning.
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| Wren |
I headed back up towards Ninewells adding a Buzzard over the trees near the Carseview Centre and a Jay in the bushes. A Stock Dove was seen at the Ninewells Community Garden but as there were a few volunteers around I chose not to linger there either. Balgay Hill proved a bit more productive with prolonged views of the western hill Nuthatch and brief views of a Goldcrest nearby. Another Nuthatch gave me good views on the eastern half of the hill and I was able to get some photos of the perched local Buzzard near the bottom of the hill, through the tangle of branches. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard drumming and calling intermittently before I called it a day around 1300 and rather wearily trudged homewards.
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| Jay |
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| Goldcrest |
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| Nuthatch |
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Stock Dove
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Great Tit
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| Buzzard |
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Long Tailed Tit
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| Sparrowhawk |
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| Robin |
I managed a total of 50 species with 41 seen or heard at Riverside
Nature Park, and 34 outwith the park. The weather wasn't particularly
great for birding and I was still feeling a bit tired so it wasn't
the most enjoyable of birding outings. There were still some decent
photo opportunities and interesting chat with Keith to make it a
worthwhile walk though. I had also managed to cover almost all of the
worthwhile birding locations around the city within the space of the 3
days off work giving some idea of the spread of species to be expected
in the city in very early April.
Birds (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Blackbird, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Meadow Pipit, Nuthatch, Oystercatcher, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Siskin, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Mammals (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Grey Squirrel.
Birds (at Riverside Nature Park) - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Shelduck, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Teal, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
Amphibians (at Riverside Nature Park) - Smooth Newt.
Mammals (at Riverside Nature Park) - Rabbit.
