 |
| Sparrowhawk |
It isn't intentional but for some reason I just always seem to neglect Riverside Nature Park in the winter, especially the first half. I tend to go elsewhere in search of birds rather than to the Nature Park. Oddly, that can also be to places that take just as long, or even longer to get to. Part of the reason for not visiting often enough might be that the winter waders tend to be all grey and white, there aren't too many passerines around and surprises tend to be few and far between. Merlin is a species that has been a 'possible' sighting on more than one occasion in winter but has yet to be confirmed. It is also a bird I need for my Dundee140 list. What else might I be missing out on by not visiting the park often enough? Although the possibility of a Merlin wasn't even considered before I left the house, I decided that as it had been a while since my last visit, I really should make the effort to pop down for a look around as the weather was actually forecast to be reasonable if a little bit on the cold side, for a change.
I headed out around 15 minutes after sunrise for the hour or so's walk to the park. It was fairly standard fayre along the way with Feral Pigeon, Herring Gull, Carrion Crow, Starling, Jackdaw and Dunnock all within the first minute or so. A Black Headed Gull was on the grass between the football stadiums. A Robin sang from bushes next to one of the tenements opposite Dens Park. A Woodpigeon was noted on Provost Road. Blackbird, Blue Tit and Long Tailed Tits were all very active as I walked up Canning Street. Five minutes further on, I found House Sparrow and Chaffinch as I headed in the direction of the Law. The first Magpie of the day was by the allotments on the eastern side of the hill. A Redwing was seen in flight as I headed down the Law Steps on the western side. A Goldfinch flew over Pentland Avenue as I headed for Balgay Hill where Coal Tit, Goldcrest and Great Tit were in the trees.
A Sparrowhawk flew over in hunting mode as I passed the bridge junction and a Grey Squirrel scampered up a tree when it spotted me. Further on through the cemetery, Siskins were heard. A small group of Redwings flew past as I headed out from the cemetery. A Mistle Thrush landed on a TV aerial on the corner of Oxford Street. I bumped into Keith on Riverside Avenue as he was heading homewards and we had a short chat. He has had Chiffchaff and Woodcock a few times on recent visits and had seen a Turnstone in the bay again. Wren and Grey Wagtail were my final additions before I reached the eastern end of Riverside Nature Park a little later than expected, at around 1000. I had rather low expectations with an anticipated figure of somewhere about 35 species, based on those few visits I've made around this time of year previously.
Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Wren, Redwing, Greenfinch, Robin, Dunnock, Herring Gull, Goldfinch, Carrion Crow and Feral Pigeons trickled onto the list rather slowly as I looked around the eastern end in search of a Woodcock or even a Snipe. Not unexpectedly, I found neither. A few Fieldfares and a Chiffchaff were nice adds behind the car park. A Chaffinch overflew before I ventured into the top half of the park. Searching along the back end of the bushes along the north end of the hill I found a small mixed flock of Blue Tit, Great Tit and Coal Tit. A little further up the slope a single male Bullfinch showed relatively well in the sunshine. A Curlew was seen in flight to the south before I headed to check the birds in the bay. Something that could've been a Woodcock, but was just as likely a Woodpigeon broke cover and flew off away from me from within the trees with only a dark shape being perceived.
Redshank, Mallard, a few Black Tailed Godwits, a drake Goosander, Teal, Grey Heron, Cormorant, Black Headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull and a couple of Great Black Backed Gulls were all spotted in the bay. A Song Thrush flew past me and a Pied Wagtail passed overhead. Well out to the west I spotted a few skeins of Pink Footed Geese on their way inland. A couple of Jackdaws noisily called as they headed down towards the bay. A party of Oystercatchers flew downriver as I wandered over the top of the hill. Off to the north a Sparrowhawk circled. A Mistle Thrush landed in a tree round from the car park.
As the tide was by this time well on its way in, I wandered round again back towards the outer bay. A male Bullfinch was feeding in the Buddleia by the path and a small group of Fieldfare were on the grassy slope but flew off as a dog walker came along the path from the opposite direction. A Chiffchaff flew past and I managed to grab a flight shot thanks to the tracking abilities of the OM-1. The photo looked like a relatively decent shout for a Siberian Chiffchaff but I couldn't refind the bird. A Sparrowhawk cruised past menacingly, circling a couple of times before being chased off to the north by a Carrion Crow.
The incoming tide still had a little bit left to go when I arrived at the hide around 1205. I checked through the gulls before noticing there was a Buzzard perched in the usual small tree just to the north of the hide by the railway bridge. A couple of Carrion Crows stood guard for a few minutes before losing interest and flying off again. Among the ducks in the burn I noticed a female Wigeon with a couple of Teal. There was a bit of a panic down among the waders as I was checking the camera and it took a few seconds to spot the culprit. A young Peregrine circled round once before disappearing off to the north, most likely to upset the Feral Pigeons at the hospital. I spent a few minutes trying to get photos of an interesting looking young gull, though I suspect it was just a young Herring Gull.
Siskins were heard among the trees at the hide as was a flock of Long Tailed Tits and a Grey Wagtail flew up out of the bay. Around 1255 I decided that I wasn't going to find anything more interesting among the Redshank flock on the railway embankment or among the gulls on the water and decided to head back into the park. The Fieldfare flock flew by again with a Redwing in tow and a skein of Pink Footed Geese arrived overhead from the east before circling round once as a plane took off from the airport before resuming their travels upriver. I headed for the exit as the light was staring to worsen despite it only being around 1315. A couple of Rabbits were seen in the field just before I headed out. I'd managed a decent haul of 44 species (with another possible found on photos later at home), which was much better than I had hoped for.
I spotted a Buzzard on the fence at the airport and a few Greenfinches flew out from the gardens to the north before heading back out of sight again. There was no sign of any Pied Wagtails at the football pitches though there was a flock of hungry Starlings in the restaurant 'garden'. A few distant Cormorants were on the river near the railbridge but birds were in very short supply. I wandered along the cycle path by the railway line towards the Science Centre but failed to see anything of any interest along that way. I popped into Waterstones to buy the new edition of the Collins Bird Guide but the only copy on the shelf was of the 2nd edition. I can't actually support a 'physical' bookshop if they don't stock the book I'm looking for, when online retailers have it in stock and available. I've decided I'm going to wait for the paperback edition anyway, which isn't due until March, so it isn't really a big deal. A couple of Grey Wagtails were seen in flight around the city centre. A skein of Pink Footed Geese were my final sighting as I neared home taking my total for outwith the park to 30 species, and a total overall of 47 species. Although not the most eventful of trips to the park, the 44 species was a decent haul for December, and 3 species of raptor, Chiffchaff and decent views of Fieldfare did make it fairly worthwhile.
 |
| Redwing |
 |
| Magpie |
 |
| Bullfinch |
 |
| Woodpigeon |
 |
| Robin |
 |
Black Tailed Godwit
|
 |
| Jackdaw |
 |
| Goldfinch |
 |
| Cormorant |
 |
Mistle Thrush
|
 |
| Bullfinch |
 |
| Fieldfare |
 |
| Fieldfare |
 |
(Siberian?) Chiffchaff
|
 |
| Buzzard |
 |
Wigeon, Teal & Mallard
|
 |
| Peregrine |
 |
| Cormorant |
 |
Herring Gull
|
 |
Redshank & Dunlin
|
 |
| Fieldfare |
 |
Pink Footed Goose
|
Birds (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Cormorant, Dunnock, Fieldfare, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mistle Thrush, Pink Footed Goose, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Siskin, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Mammals (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Grey Squirrel.
Birds (at Riverside Nature Park) - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Fieldfare, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Redshank, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Siskin, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Teal, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Mammals (at Riverside Nature Park) - Rabbit.
