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Marsh Harrier
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Following on from Saturday's efforts at Balmossie and East Wemyss I decided that I would try Riverside Nature Park on Sunday in the hope of picking up some passage waders there, or maybe even an early migrating passerine movement. It will soon be time for early morning visits to Dundee Law to try and catch some vis-mig. I've still to catch up with Greenshank, Ruff, Spotted Redshank, Whimbrel and Curlew Sandpiper and Riverside Nature Park and Invergowrie Bay offer the best chance of getting any and all of these onto my Dundee 140 list. Realistically I probably need to catch up with all of these to have a chance of reaching the target figure this year.
With high tide around 1400 or so, I didn't need to be out and about too early but I still headed out the door around 0745. I hoped to reach the park around 0900 or 0930, depending on distractions en route, which would give me a couple of hours of relatively relaxed birding before I needed to be at the bay to check through the waders and gulls. With the possibility of some inclement weather around 1400, I hoped to be on my way home before it arrived. Not unexpectedly, it was mostly standard fayre on the walk to the park, largely following my most used route to work. House Martin, Bullfinch, Peregrine on Cox's Stack, Sandwich Tern over the Tay and a Blackcap near the railway line were the best of the bunch.
I headed into the park at 0900 and decided to set myself a target of 50 species (or more). A bit of luck would be needed given that it is still relatively early in the migration season but I knew that it was likely I would at least come close to reaching that target. Things started off relatively well around the eastern end of the park with Chiffchaff, House Martin, Swallow, Pied Wagtail, Black Headed Gull and Buzzard all noted within the first half hour. Things got a bit more interesting shortly after that. I heard what sounded like a Crossbill and swung round to see a rather distant bird in flight in the area I thought the call was coming from. Sure enough, the rather disappointing photos showed enough detail to confirm it was my first ever Crossbill at the park - Mark Wilkinson (5 birds) and Ian Ford (1) both having seen them there before in 2021. Crossbill was my 132nd species (of the 152 on the list).
Sandwich Tern and a low flying Sparrowhawk were next before another surprise arrived from the north. What was an unexpected skein of geese turned out to be Greylags rather than the Canada Geese, which are often seen locally at this time of year. They continued over the trees in the direction of the river. I had by this time passed the half-way mark of my target figure. I knew that the second half would be a bit trickier and so it was to prove. Whitethroat, Yellowhammer, Stock Dove and Willow Warbler were all noted in the lower half of the park and Moorhen and Mallard were seen at the Lochan. There were a few butterfly species on the wing, lots of Meadow Browns, as well as Small Tortoiseshell and Green Veined Whites.
I continued round towards the bay, adding a Linnet on the way. The tide was a bit further in than expected which meant after noting Cormorant, Grey Heron, Curlew, Redshank and Lapwing I headed round to the hide. Lesser Black backed Gull, Jackdaw, Teal, a trio of Dunlin, a few Common Sandpipers, a group of young Shelduck and a few Rooks added a few more species to the list. I knew I was still a bit short of my target figure so kept checking and rechecking the waders and gulls. Surprisingly I failed to even find a single Common Gull, or either of the Godwit species. This was disappointing. Nor were there any rarer species to be found. Eventually at around noon I headed back along the track from the hide to try to find the remaing few species to get me to the half century.
A raptor suddenly appeared from the direction of the bay, carried on the relatively strong wind up and over to the field by the road, where it circled once or twice before gaining more height and drifting off westwards towards the airport. Surprisingly it was a Marsh Harrier, rather than a Buzzard or even an Osprey, and my second sighting at the park this year of the species. There was a sighting over the park back in 2013 by Ian Ford on the same day as the Red Backed Shrike was found by Charles Rough, as well as another sighting by Ian earlier this year. Hopefully, the species will continue to be seen hunting around the park/airport in years to come.
I added a couple more butterfly species - Red Admiral and Small White as I tried to find another 3 species of bird. I loitered around the northern side of Buzzard Wood where I knew there was a reasonable chance of Great Tit or Blackcap. A pair of hirundines heading west turned out to be Sand Martins. Now I just needed another 2 species. A Dunnock started to sing from one of the small trees by the path. I was on the verge of giving up and heading home when a Blackcap started alarm calling from the trees to the north due to the presence of a Magpie. I'd reached my target and could call it a day. The sky was beginning to darken rather ominously anyway. I decided I would quickly check the rooftop roost next to the park quickly before heading home.
The numbers were well down on my previous check though there were still a mix of Black Headed Gulls and Sandwich Terns visible. As I headed back towards the main road a Song Thrush flew out from the Rowans by the Evri depoy fenceline and into the park opposite. Species number 51 for the day's park-list. Thankfully I managed to find shelter in Balgay cemetery below a rather bushy conifer as the rain arrived. Within a few minutes it had passed by and I continued homewards. The only additions to the day's birds on the rest of the walk were Goldcrest and Collared Dove giving me a total of 56 species of bird, 6 of butterfly and 1 of mammal. Despite nothing new for the Dundee 140 list, it was a worthwhile trip with a very welcome patch tick and a better and longer Marsh Harrier sighting than my first one.
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| Peregrine |
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| Blackbird |
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| Woodpigeon |
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| Crossbill |
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| Sparrowhawk |
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Greylag Goose
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Black Headed Gull
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Stock Dove
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Willow Warbler
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| Robin |
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| Mallard |
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| Linnet |
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Dunlin & Redshank
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Shelduck & Teal
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Marsh Harrier
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Marsh Harrier
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| Oystercatcher |
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Sand Martin
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| Goldfinch |
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Sandwich Tern & Black Headed Gull
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Birds (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Magpie, Peregrine, Pied Wagtail, Feral Pigeon, Sandwich Tern, Starling, Swallow, Swift, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Birds (at Riverside Nature Park) - Blackbird, Blackcap, Black
Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Common Sandpiper, Cormorant, Crossbill, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Greenfinch,
Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed
Gull, Linnet, Magpie, Mallard, Marsh Harrier, Moorhen, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sand Martin, Sandwich Tern,
Shelduck, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Swift, Teal, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
Butterflies (at Riverside Nature Park) - Green Veined White, Meadow Brown, Red Admiral, Ringlet, Small Tortoiseshell, Small White.
Mammals (at Riverside Nature Park) - Rabbit.
