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Pink Footed Goose
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A combination of factors meant that I didn't get any birding done on my mid-week day off work, but with some really good birds turning up on easterly winds on Friday, I was determined to get out birding on Saturday. Although the coast is almost always the best place to catch up with migrants brought in on favourable Autumn winds I decided to try Riverside Nature Park, rather than head to the eastern end of the city. My thinking was that Barry Buddon (outwith the city's boundaries) looked a much likelier place to stop for food and shelter than Barnhill Rock Garden or the small Broughty Ferry local nature reserve. So, I planned to get down in time for sunrise. If it was misty, I'd look for grounded migrants and if it wasn't I'd see how the vis-mig was going before searching for grounded migrants once that calmed down.
Things didn't look overly promising for vis-mig when I looked out the window before I got organised and saw that it appeared to be rather misty. However I hoped that would result in a better chance of finding birds in the bushes and trees at the park. I headed out the door at 0645 to the usual sound of a Robin in the darkness. As expected there weren't many birds around, a few more Robins, a Blackbird and a Pink Footed Goose being all the next half an hour managed to produce. Thankfully as the darkness began to lift a few more birds were waking up. Wren, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Song Thrush, Redwing, Goldcrest, Herring Gull, Dunnock and Blue Tit were noted over the next half an hour or so before I reached the park.
It was still slightly before sunrise and the cloud base was still rather low with visibility of less than a mile in any direction. I had decided to take the thermal imager with me, to increase my chances of finding birds hidden in the bushes and trees. Wren, Redwing, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Robin, Herring Gull, Song Thrush, Curlew, Woodpigeon, Mistle Thrush and Blackbird were quickly added to the list around the eastern extremities of the park. I met Keith as he arrived and we teamed up to double our chances of finding something decent. The thermal imager found a 'blob' of heat in below some bushes but it turned out to be a Rabbit. We added Chaffinch and Greenfinch before we spooked a Woodcock that I hadn't picked up with the thermal imager as I had been looking at the bushes rather than the ground. It flew off quickly, but out of our sight as our view was blocked by the hedgerow it had apparently been below.
The Woodcock did give us a bit of hope that we might find something fairly good. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen in flight and we soon picked up a handful of Fieldfares passing overhead, along with some more Redwings. A Goldcrest was spotted as we headed for the Lochan. Moorhen and Teal were added there along with Mallard. Feral Pigeons passed by to the north. Yellowhammer and Skylark joined the other birds already on the list as we wandered along to the hide. The thermal imager helped find a few birds but nothing we hadn't already seen. Blackcap, Bullfinch, Long Tailed Tit and Pied Wagtail were noted around the hide area, with both Magpie and Jackdaw also around as we wandered back to check the outer part of the bay.
There were a few thousand Pink Footed Geese in the outer bay, mostly just beyond the edge of the mud. The low visibility in all directions was keeping them all down, though periodically a few birds would take flight, circle round for a few minutes then land again, as they were unable to see where they wanted to go. Keith got his scope out to check through the geese and I did the same using just binoculars. I managed to find a trio of Canada Geese just behind the Pinkies and took a handful of photos to check later at home. Unfortunately as Keith was scanning through the flock, a large number of them took flight. The light was still rather poor, so even with a good scope, it was very difficult to find anything different.
Checking the photos later at home, I did find a trio of potentially interesting geese - one appeared to be a Greenland White Fronted Goose - which would be a new species for the park list, but as it only appeared on a single rather grainy photo, it is one I'm not going to count unless it is found again and confirmed. Another appeared to have more of an orange bill, rather than a pink one, but again was only on one grainy photo. The third bird appeared to be a Pink Footed Goose with orange, rather than pink, legs and was photographed taking flight. In addition to the geese we were able to see Oystercatchers, Redshank, Wigeon, Cormorant and Dunlin on the mud and pipe. Siskin and Lesser Redpoll overflew before Keith had to head off home.
I returned to the bay after checking the bushes along the route back to the car park. The tide had risen a little further but the number of geese in the bay had dropped again. Grey Heron and Goosander were both new and a small group of Tree Sparrows dropped into the trees in front of me. Reed Bunting, Great Tit, Starling and Meadow Pipit provided a few more species over the next 20 minutes or so. Both Bar Tailed and Black Tailed Godwits were seen as the tide pushed the birds further into the bay, along with Grey Wagtail and Common Gull. I wandered along to the hide but failed to find anything new among the at least 700+ Dunlin on the mud. A few Goldfinches were finally spotted as I walked back to look at the bay again as the visibility finally appeared to be improving.
A Sparrowhawk upset the roosting waders as it flew low over the bushes and a Rook was seen over the bay a little later. I had a chat with another couple of birders (Chris and Eleanor) who were also scanning out over the bay, before we headed off again in opposite directions to see what else we could find, though not before the Sparrowhawk made another low pass in front of us. More birds were passing over the park - Redwings, Mistle Thrushes, a few Fieldfares and Skylarks mostly, as the clouds finally seemed to be clearing. However, the brief glimpse of blue sky didn't last and I remembered a little bit too late that heavy rain was forecast for around 1600. I called it a day and headed for home having noted a total of 54 species at the park.
A Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard on the Perth Road as I contemplated catching a bus into town, only to find that it had been cancelled. Goldfinch, Bullfinch, Woodpigeon, Long Tailed Tit, Coal Tit, Starling, Feral Pigeon, Black Headed Gull and Pied Wagtail took the total number of species for outwith the park to 22 species, but unfortunately for me, the forecast rain arrived while I still had around 25 minutes or so to go on my walk home, which meant I got a bit wetter than I wanted to. The total number of species recorded on the day was 55 - just one species was seen only outwith the park (Coal Tit). While Fife picked up another prospective first for the region (Stejneger's Stonechat) and a very nice selection of other birds including their second Red Flanked Bluetail of this Autumn, Dundee flattered to deceive once again. We will strike it lucky eventually.... (though Keith did get a Barred Warbler last November, so there is definitely still time for a really 'good' bird again this Autumn).
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Canada Goose, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Dunlin & Redshank
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| Wigeon |
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| Blackbird |
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| Siskin |
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Pink Footed Goose
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| Yellowhammer |
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| Cormorant |
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| Mallard |
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Tree Sparrow
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Meadow Pipit
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Redshank, Black Tailed Godwit, Teal & Dunlin
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| Dunlin |
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Pied Wagtail
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Long Tailed Tit
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Black Tailed Godwit
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| Goosander |
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Song Thrush
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Mistle Thrush
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Reed Bunting
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Dunlin & Redshank
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| Sparrowhawk |
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| Curlew |
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| Blackbird |
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| Fieldfare |
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| Redwing |
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Carrion Crow
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Birds (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Herring Gull, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Song Thrush, Starling, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Birds (at Riverside Nature Park) - Bar Tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Fieldfare, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Lesser Redpoll, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Redshank, Redwing, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Siskin, Skylark, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Wigeon, Woodcock, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
Mammals - Rabbit.
