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| Goldfinch |
I decided having seen the weather forecast for Friday that I would take the day off from work (on holiday). I hoped this would give me a reasonable chance at managing to catch a Hawfinch migrating over the city. I managed to get the species in both 2020 and 2021 just by being incredibly lucky and being in the right place at the right time. I wasn't especially confident that I would manage to get another but I certainly wouldn't get one if I was stuck inside at work. Having the following Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday off too meant that I would have a chance to get some Autumn birding in on six consecutive days - even if strong winds were forecast, and westerlies at that. I would start at the top of the Law again at sunrise and see what was passing by.
I headed out at around 0705 for the walk to the top of the hill. There wasn't a great amount of daylight as the sky was rather grey but I did still manage to get a few birds on the list - Blackbird, Robin, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Carrion Crow, Dunnock and Woodpigeon. The first possible migrant of the day went over as I walked along Byron Street, a Pied Wagtail. Goldcrest and Meadow Pipit were both noted on the walk up the brae to the steps leading up the hill. The local Magpies and Carrion Crows were much in evidence around the top. A few Bullfinches were seen in the nearby trees. Chaffinch and Goldfinch were the next species onto the list while I waited for the morning's movements to really get underway.
Out to the west I could see that the sky was looking rather ominous and I had a feeling that my luck wasn't going to hold and that it was going to get rather wet sooner rather than later. Meadow Pipits began to move through along with a few Chaffinches. A Chiffchaff was heard calling down the eastern side of the hill, most likely a new arrival overnight. A pair of Siskins headed over at around 0755, followed by a group of 4 Meadow Pipits and another pair of Meadow Pipits. The rain began around 0800 so I headed down the steps to the relative shelter of the corner of the toilet block. I was still able to see some of the birds that were moving through. These were mostly more Meadow Pipits but a trio of Swallows and a Reed Bunting did provide a little variety. Once the rain had passed I headed back to the top of the hill, though I spent some time stood in the lee of the shed below the mast, which did provide some respite from the strengthening wind.
A pair of Blackbirds headed past to the north before more Meadow Pipits and a further 3 Swallows passed by. A group of 3 Song Thrushes flew by at 0835 with a group of 8 Meadow Pipits doing likewise around 10 minutes later. The first skein of 32 Pink Footed Geese went north at 0905. Things proved rather slow over the course of the next hour with only a handful of Meadow Pipits and Chaffinches to break the monotony of standing around on a gloomy cold and windy morning waiting for the forecast sunshine to finally arrive. A Skylark headed over at around 0945 but by this time I'd more or less had enough. Jackdaw and Wren were both noted, though neither were migrants. I waited until 1000 and headed down the steps again. I discovered there were actually plenty birds in the trees including a flock of Song Thrushes and a single Mistle Thrush as well as a Chiffchaff and a few mixed tit species.
I wasn't sure where I wanted to go but set off in the direction of Balgay Hill. However when I reached the south end of The Miley I decided I would have a look. I was hoping that there might be a Yellow Browed Warbler tucked away somewhere along the length of the urban reserve though I also knew that there was probably very little likelihood of this actually being the case. Things did turn out to be very quiet at The Miley with a few tits and finches the only birds seen. After about 45 minutes of walking I decided I would head back up to the top of the Law again. By this time the sun had come out and it was relatively warm. I had dressed for the early morning conditions and was now a bit too warm.
I spent another hour at the top of the hill and was slightly surprised that there were actually still some obvious migrants passing by - Meadow Pipits, a single Swallow and a Pied Wagtail. A Buzzard was being harassed by gulls as it passed over The Miley flying towards Balgay Hill. Just after noon I decided to move on again. I checked out the bushes and trees around the hill again and had a brief view of a Sparrowhawk being harassed by a Carrion Crow. A Red Admiral butterfly landed among the brambles in front of me - likely one of my last butterfly sightings of 2022. I eventually decided I would head for City Quay in the hope that I could add a little bit of variety to the day's birds. A Greenfinch flew over as I wandered through Dudhope Park. I contemplated checking out The Howff when I reached the city centre but decided against it and continued on to City Quay as planned.
A Grey Heron flew off from behind the North Carr lightship and landed on one of the water park ramps. A single Guillemot was seen on the water beyond the footbridge before I wandered down to the river to see what was offshore. There were a few Cormorants atop 'Submarine Rock' but the wind was making the water rather choppy meaning that birds on the water were virtually non-existent. Another Guillemot showed nicely below me on the river. As I wandered back into the Quay area by the damaged lock gates, I spotted a small bird in flight across the eastern side of the channel. It turned out to be a Kingfisher, one of two which have been seen recently. It flew off across the dock and I lost sight of it quite quickly against the background clutter. I scanned around the edges of the dock for it but drew a blank. There were a few more Cormorants around and I had good views of a Guillemot by the footbridge a little later.
As I was exiting the Quay to head for home, the nearby Feral Pigeons all took flight and I searched for the reason. It didn't take too long to find the culprit - a Sparrowhawk which soon disappeared over the building in the direction of the Murraygate. A few seconds later I spotted a Buzzard being bothered by a corvid a bit further to the north, possibly somewhere near The Wellgate. I added Long Tailed Tits near St Margaret's Nursing Home before I made it home around 1430. A total of 35 species for the day's efforts was slightly disappointing but it was definitely more enjoyable than being at work wondering what I might be missing.
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| Chaffinch |
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Reed Bunting
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| Goldfinch |
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| Magpie |
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Herring Gull
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| Magpie |
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Great Tit
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| Goldcrest |
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Coal Tit
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Red Admiral
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Sparrowhawk & Carrion Crow
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Grey Heron
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| Guillemot |
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| Cormorant |
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| Guillemot |
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Grey Heron
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Herring Gull
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Carrion Crow & Buzzard
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Birds - Blackbird, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Cormorant, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kingfisher, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Siskin, Skylark, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Swallow, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Butterflies - Red Admiral.
