 |
| Siskin |
Having set myself a target of 78 species (just past the halfway mark to 145) before I return to work on Monday the 9th of January, I needed to keep the momentum up by getting out again on Wednesday. The weather forecast looked quite decent so I decided I would head to Riverside Nature Park for my first visit of the year. There was a short list of target species I was hoping to run into, with the chance as always of a surprise or two as well. I also intended to try to catch up with a Nuthatch either at Ninewells Community Garden or at Balgay Hill.
I headed out a little later than intended at around 0820. I had considered heading for the Law and Balgay Hill around an hour earlier with Tawny Owl the target but wasn't feeling 100% when I woke up, so I had another 45 minutes or so in my bed instead. Herring Gull, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Pied Wagtail, House Sparrow, Robin, Goldfinch, Blackbird, Jackdaw, Dunnock, Wren and Magpie were all noted in the first 15 minutes outside. Things tailed off a little after that with Feral Pigeon, Starling, Woodpigeon and Great Tit added in a similar time-frame. I cut up over Balgay Hill in search of Nuthatch. Bullfinch, Coal Tit, Goldcrest and Stock Dove as well as a Grey Squirrel were all found. Near the observatory a skein of Pink Footed Geese overflew.
Having drawn a blank on the Nuthatch I decided to try the feeders at Ninewells Community Garden. Treecreeper and Redwing were both seen near the footbridge at the eastern end of Ninewells Hospital grounds. The walk through to the garden gave me views of another couple of Bullfinches, a Chaffinch and a Rabbit. Other than a Great Spotted Woodpecker there was nothing new added in 20 minutes or so spent waiting and hoping for a Nuthatch to arrive at the feeders. A Common Gull was on its own near the bottom of the grassy area in front of the WL Gore building.
I reached the Nature Park just before 1000. The tide was a little further in than expected. Dunlin, Redshank, Mallard and
Teal were quickly added to the list along with a single Pink Footed Goose down by the pipe. The Buzzard was perched in its favourite tree overlooking the bay. There were a few Carrion Crows and Feral Pigeons around as well as Black Headed Gulls and Herring Gulls. There were Long Tailed Tits and Siskins in the trees by the hide and a Wren called loudly from somewhere nearby. A Magpie flew by and a Blackbird picked around below the bushes behind me. There were Curlews across the far side of the bay and beyond those were a rather loose flock of
Greylag Geese.
Robin, Blue Tit, Dunnock, Redwing and Great Tit were also noted around the hide area. It was rather muddy with a bit of a puddle along below the viewing slots. Rather than continue to stand in the puddles while trying to check the birds in the bay I tried moving some of the leaf litter down to cover up the puddles and build it up a little so that it was a little drier. The forecast had been favourable but it had begun to rain which wasn't helpful. It was the first of numerous showers that passed through. I did manage to see a couple of
Black Tailed Godwits down by the burn. These, the Greylags and the Teal were all new for my Dundee145 list and very welcome.
I headed into the park around 1115 having found Chaffinch and Bullfinch as the tide rose and the amount of exposed mud shrank in size. Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Greenfinch, Yellowhammer, Goldfinch and a Grey Heron roosting near the rather extended Lochan helped pass the time. A surprise at around 1215 was a lone
Skylark flying high east over the bay and the hill. This was a fairly unexpected year-tick but another very welcome addition. I left the park at around 1245 having managed to see or hear a total of 32 species which was quite disappointing though the 4 new birds (in bold) did ease that disappointment a little.
A Fieldfare was perched atop a tall tree in a garden on Perth Road. The feeders at the Community Garden were a bit emptier than they had been earlier in the day and as a result there were fewer birds coming in to feed. Around 1330 I gave up and headed on to Balgay Hill. Things were relatively quiet up there too. A pair of Grey Squirrels that may have been playing, courting or possibly even fighting, or even all three were seen together in a tree near the footbridge. I had a brief but good view of a Jay and eventually heard a calling
Nuthatch, though I failed to pick it out among the numerous trees, so a 'heard-only' record will have to do for now. A notification that a parcel I was expecting was available for collection in the city centre hastened my departure from the hill. What was potentially the same Siskin flock I'd seen earlier at both ends of the park were in the trees south of the hill.
The walk into the city centre then home proved to be relatively birdless. I was hoping for a Sparrowhawk but the species was still eluding me, whereas I often run into one at least once a week, when I'm out and about in daylight. I finished the day having noted a total of 44 species - the combined total of the 32 at the park, and 31 outwith the park. The weather eventually cleared up but the rain had, pardon the pun, put a bit of a dampener on the morning's birding. I've certainly had better day's birding but given that I'd managed to add 5 new species, taking my total to 72 for my Dundee145 list in just 4 days, I can hardly complain.
 |
| Bullfinch |
 |
| Robin |
 |
Great Spotted Woodpecker
|
 |
Common Gull
|
 |
Pink Footed Goose
|
 |
Greylga Goose
|
 |
Redshank & Dunlin
|
 |
| Redwing |
 |
| Dunlin |
 |
| Yellowhammer |
 |
| Chaffinch |
 |
Carrion Crow & Jackdaw
|
 |
Grey Heron
|
 |
| Redshank |
 |
| Skylark |
 |
| Siskin |
 |
| Fieldfare |
 |
| Robin |
 |
| Bullfinch |
 |
| Jay |
 |
Grey Squirrel
|
 |
Grey Squirrel
|
 |
Grey Squirrel
|
Birds (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Blackbird, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Dunnock, Fieldfare, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Nuthatch, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Siskin, Starling, Stock Dove, Treecreeper, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Mammals (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Grey Squirrel, Rabbit.
Birds (at Riverside Nature Park) - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Long
Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Pink Footed Goose, Redshank, Redwing,
Robin, Feral Pigeon, Siskin, Skylark, Teal,
Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
