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| Jay |
I've been meaning to do a catch-up post on what I've seen and heard on my walks to and from work for at least the last 4 weeks. I've never quite managed to get around to doing so until now. It has been 8 weeks since my last update and a lot has happened in that time with a couple of new additions to the 'on foot commute' list, one of which was really unexpected. The gull numbers at the football pitches have risen and then fallen away again with the Black Headed Gulls having more or less all moved on to their breeding areas leaving a few Common Gulls alongside the dwindling numbers of Herring Gulls and the odd Lesser Black Backed. Winter migrants are moving north again with their place slowly being taken by newly arrived summer migrants. The best of these movements are hopefully still to come though....
Valentine's Day produced Sparrowhawk and Peregrine, with the same again the following day as well as Redwing. Thursday the 17th of February's best was the Peregrine once again on the Ninewells chimney and a Grey Wagtail. Only 17 species on Friday the 18th was a result of wet weather with nothing of particular note to be found among that rather low total for the day. Thankfully things picked up again the following Monday with Pink Footed Goose and Redwing passing through and the Peregrine still loitering at the chimney. Redwing was the best of the 21 species on Tuesday the 22nd. Redwings were again noted on the Thursday and Friday that week with the Peregrine also noted on the 24th.
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| Peregrine |
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| Sparrowhawk |
I had a few days off to use up some annual leave at the end of February and the beginning of March. I was back at work again on the 3rd when Pied Wagtail and Redwing were the main highlights among the 28 species noted. Jay and Nuthatch were spotted on Friday the 4th. Grey Wagtail and Pink Footed Geese started the following week though I was stuck at home ill on the Tuesday. More Pink Footed Geese were noted on the 10th along with Jay. Great Spotted Woodpecker and Nuthatch were noted at Balgay Hill on the 11th.
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| Great Spotted Woodpecker |
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| Nuthatch |
Nuthatch and Peregrine were the pick of the bunch on Monday the 14th of March among 29 species seen or heard. The following day proved very productive with 33 species noted including Great Spotted Woodpecker, Grey Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Redwing and Sparrowhawk as I took a rather meandering route to work in search of Chiffchaff. I failed to find a Chiffchaff but as I wandered down Campbell Street past the allotments around 0700 there was a rather surprising addition to my 'on foot commute' list as a male Pheasant burst skywards from the other side of the wooden fence before flying off northwards along Gardner Street! Although there are Pheasants to be found around the edges of the city at times it certainly wasn't a bird I'd expect to see so centrally in the city. Interestingly on twitter there was a post from Northumberland suggesting that there is some movement of Pheasants around this time of year.
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| Pheasant |
On Thursday the 17th, Collared Dove, Grey Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose and Redwing were the best of 30 species. A few Black Headed Gulls were noted over the Cemetery on the 18th and Grey Wagtail and Sparrowhawk were seen again. Monday the 21st of March managed to produce 28 species including Buzzard, Nuthatch and Sparrowhawk in addition to Grey Squirrel and a Peacock butterfly at Balgay Cmetery on the way home. The 22nd reached the heady heights of 33 species again with Meadow Pipit being new for my Dundee 140 list (number 93) and the first commute Chiffchaff of the year being heard in the morning. Almost every day from then on had Chiffchaff seen or heard at some point on the route to work in the morning. The best of the rest that Tuesday were Collared Dove, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Grey Wagtail, Nuthatch and Redwing. A Red Squirrel was a nice surprise in the lower part of the Cemetery and I had closer views of another Peacock butterfly on Ancrum Road.
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| Meadow Pipit |
More Meadow Pipits as well as Nuthatch, Redwing and Sparrowhawk were among the 29 species on the 24th of March. I used my last annual leave day on Friday the 25th. Grey Wagtail, Nuthatch and Pink Footed Geese were all noted on Monday the 28th. I made it to 31 species on the following day with another surprise species added to the 'on foot commute' list as I wandered along Kinghorne Road past the Law where a Kestrel was seen in flight over the houses to the south. Buzzard and Sparrowhawk were also noted that day as were Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jay and Nuthatch. The last day of March had Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming, more Meadow Pipits overflying, a few Redwings feeding on the ground just off Ninewells Avenue and a singing Chiffchaff.
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| Kestrel |
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| Chiffchaff |
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| Robin |
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| Blue Tit |
April opened with 27 species of which the best bird was one that doesn't really count for the list. As I walked up into Balgay Cemetery on my way home after work I spotted a raptor in flight and got my small set of binoculars I carry with me to work onto it quite quickly. Although the rear 3/4 view I managed wasn't the best the bird appeared to be the same falconer's escaped bird (a Saker/cross?) I'd seen in February from home and at Baldovie. Keith had seen the same bird from Magdalen Green a few weeks previously too so it seems to be hanging around the city, at least for now. Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming again plus Pink Footed Geese and a calling Nuthatch were also on the day's list among the 27 species haul that day.
Monday the 4th of April was a public holiday and another day off work. Tuesday the 5th had Nuthatch in Balgay again as well as a pair of Black Headed Gulls over Loons Road and Redwing once again on the move. A pair of squabbling Nuthatches at Balgay on Thursday the 7th were one of the main highlights among the 29 species noted that day. A small group of 4 (+ 1 straggler) Meadow Pipits over Loons Road in the morning were good to see but a pair of Shelduck heading east over Balgay Hill were even better and only the second time I've seen the species since beginning to walk to work just over 2 years ago. On Friday the 8th the best I could rustle up was a Red Squirrel along with Nuthatch and Meadow Pipit, which brings things up to date once again.
Over the period covered in this post I managed to record a total of 44 species of bird as well as 1 of butterfly and 2 of mammals. As more and more summer migrants arrive that number should creep up a little further before things begin to go quieter as the breeding season comes to an end. Then there is a lull before the summer migrants begind to move off again. At the rate 2022 seems to be moving it feels like it won't be too long before things are at that stage.... All photos used in this post are from this year, except the Kestrel which is from 2020.
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| House Sparrow |
Birds - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Kestrel, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Meadow Pipit, Nuthatch, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, (Saker Falcon?), Shelduck, Siskin, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Butterfles - Peacock.
Mammals - Grey Squirrel, Red Squirrel.