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| Redwing |
My original plan for birding on Sunday was for a repeat of Saturday's Riverside Nature Park visit. However, when the alarm went off, I felt a bit too tired to get up, so instead I went back to sleep. It was 4 or 5 hours later before I finally got up out of bed. The weather forecast was for heavy rain sometime around mid-afternoon which didn't leave too much time for actual birding, if I was to head for either Balmossie or Riverside Nature Park again. With 'winter thrush' flocks arriving in good numbers over the previous few days, I decided I might as well try Eastern Cemetery to see if there were any there, as it is usually a very reliable site for Redwings and Mistle Thrushes, as well as the odd Fieldfare around this time of year. There is also the chance that those same thrush flocks may drag along something a little more exotic with them - maybe a Waxwing flock, or something even better....
I headed out at around 1115. Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Starling, Feral Pigeon, Carrion Crow, Magpie and Robin were all noted before I'd even left my street. Grey Wagtail, Blue Tit and Jackdaw were added as I walked up Court Street towards Clepington Road. As the Mains Terrace central area can be quite good for those same Redwings etc, I decided I'd be crazy not to check there too. Mains Loan was shut to traffic as was the road into Mains Terrace itself. A Blackbird called from the trees near Mains Loan as I wandered along the pavement. I could hear Redwings as I neared the junction with Castle Terrace and as I stopped to look for them, a Jay flew past just above treetop height. A good start...
A few seemingly very wary Redwings were flying into a small Rowan tree between some of the larger trees to feed on the small orange berries. Some were less wary than others though and I managed to get some reasonably decent photos with the Autumn leaves providing some nice colours to complement the birds plumage. A few Blackbirds were in some of the other trees. Overhead a few Skylarks overflew, their calls audible due to how quiet the street was. While photographing the Redwings and Blackbirds, a small flock of Siskins flew in and a Wren alarm called from within the bushes nearby. A skein of Pink Footed Geese passed westwards to the north over Caird Park.
Chaffinches, a pair of male Bullfinches, a Great Tit, a Black Headed Gull, a return visit from the Jay, a few Magpies, Jackdaws and Carrion Crows kept my camera busy over the next half an hour or so. A Goldcrest was seen in a Sycamore and a loose flock of Lesser Redpolls passed westwards. A Song Thrush, Dunnock and Rook added to what was already quite a productive visit. Best of all, however was a male Blackcap which tucked into the Rowan berries - making a pleasant change from photos of the species eating Elder berries at this time of year. Eventually I had a walk around the outside of the central area and ended up talking to a couple in their driveway for about 15 minutes about the wildlife they could expect to see in front of their house.
I headed next for Swannie Ponds with Woodpigeon, Mistle Thrush and Goldfinch joining the birds already on the list during the short walk to the ponds. Just before I crossed Stobsmuir Road, I caught sight of a Sparrowhawk overhead and quickly retrieved my camera from the bag to grab some photos of the male bird before it drifted off towards the area I'd just arrived from. A Grey Heron was on the island, with plenty of Mallards hauled out among the rocks along the edge of the top pond. A pair of Moorhens were bathing at the back of the island, with a Coot beyond them. There were only a couple of Tufted Ducks visible and the Mute Swan family were at the lower pond. Among the Black Headed Gulls (including 3 ringed birds) were a couple of Common Gulls and a few Herring Gulls. A Pied Wagtail flew over, as did another small group of Redwings.
Although there had been a hint of blue sky when I was at Mains Terrace the visibility was rapidly worsening with the cloudbase lowering and by the time I'd reached Eastern Cemetery, the tops of the trees were enshrouded in mist. There were numerous thrushes around as hoped but it was almost pointless trying to get useable photos of them given the conditions. That didn't stop me trying and both Redwings and Mistle Thrushes were photographed, along with a Greenfinch and Coal Tit. Rabbit and Grey Squirrel were seen before I decided there was little point in lingering at the cemetery, so after just over 2 hours out I called it a day and headed for home. Despite the brevity of the actual birding time and the distance covered (a little over a mile in each direction) I managed to record a total of 41 species, which I was quite pleased with and was also able to get some fairly decent photos.
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Blue Tit
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| Redwing |
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| Siskin |
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Song Thrush
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| Redwing |
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| Blackbird |
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| Chaffinch |
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| Blackcap |
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| Magpie |
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| Jay |
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Great Tit
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| Jackdaw |
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House Sparrow
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| Sparrowhawk |
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Tufted Duck
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Black Headed Gull (White J0214, Green J63P & ?)
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Common Gull, Herring Gull & Black Headed Gull
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| Greenfinch |
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Coal Tit
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| Woodpigeon |
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| Mistle Thrush |
Birds - Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Coot, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Lesser Redpoll, Magpie, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Siskin, Skylark, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Tufted Duck, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Mammals - Grey Squirrel, Rabbit.
