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| Waxwing |
I've been meaning to head out to the western edges of the city recently, in search of geese, but hadn't quite got round to it. Last year, there was a relatively tame flock of Pink Footed Geese in a field between Dykes of Gray and Liff. Although I looked through them for a Barnacle, White Fronted or Bean Goose hiding in plain sight amongst them, I drew a blank. I did however find one behind Clearwater Park - a Barnacle Goose among the Pinkies there. With decent weather forecast for Saturday, I worked out a route that would allow me to check City Quay to see if the Slavonian Grebe (or maybe a Long Tailed Duck) was still around, then head out to Riverside Nature Park for a quick look around, then into Invergowrie for a few Waxwing photos before heading up to the Dykes of Gray/Benvie/Liff area for geese then home. Depending on how much walking at the Nature Park I intended to do, the total distance I would cover was in the region of 18 miles. Doable, but tiring.
I was a bit later than planned getting out the door despite getting out of bed relatively early. I headed out at 0820 to find Carrion Crow, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Herring Gull and Magpie as I walked down to Dens Road. Further down I saw a flock of Starling-like birds flying over, that I thought looked potentially like Waxwings. Seconds later, I heard the distinctive trilling calls from a small street off to my right. I wandered up for a look, and sure enough there was a flock of Waxwings perched up in a taller tree. As I filmed them on my phone they flew down to feed in a Rowan just a few feet in front of me. I should probably have taken out the camera and got some photos as the views were really close and the birds weren't phased by my being there. However, I headed on again instead adding Chaffinch, Goldfinch and Blackbird.
Blue Tit and Long Tailed Tit were noted before I crossed the road at the Olympia. Things were very quiet on the water at City Quay though there was a Cormorant there. A few Fieldfares overflew and a trio of Greenfinches took flight near the eastern part of the quay. A Wren was heard by the broken lock gates. Out on the river I found a Red Throated Diver which swam past, relatively close in. A Grey Heron was on the rocks offshore and another was on the supports for the roadbridge. Further along towards Tesco, I heard a Rock Pipit but failed to see it. A Pied Wagtail was noted near the football pitches, a Grey Seal was out on the river, a Black Headed Gull was on the sea wall and a Woodpigeon was finally added near the airport.
I reached Riverside Nature Park around 1020 and had a quick chat with Keith who was just leaving. I had messaged Steph earlier but as she had other stuff she needed to do, she wouldn't be able to meet up. My intention was to not cover the whole park, but to visit the most productive parts in the hope that I would see as much as I could, without too much wasted energy - knowing that I still had a fair distance left to walk. Blue Tit, Redwing, Robin, Wren, Goldcrest, Great Tit, Magpie, Goldfinch, Blackbird, Chaffinch, Carrion Crow, Siskin and Dunnock were all noted along the first 100 metres or so within the park. A Herring Gull overflew before I spooked a young (or female) Pheasant behind Buzzard Wood. Pink Footed Geese were heard over the traffic noise but went unseen.
Skylark was next onto the list and a quick stop at the Lochan added a pair of Mute Swans, as well as Mallard, Teal and Moorhen. Feral Pigeon, Jackdaw, Bullfinch and Fieldfare were all noted as I headed for the hill and a view out over the bay. A Buzzard was spotted out on the airfield by the fire training rig. Down in the bay I picked out Oystercatcher, Redshank, Dunlin, Curlew, Black Tailed Godwit and a single Turnstone. A loose mixed flock of (Lesser?) Redpoll and Waxwings headed over in the direction of Invergowrie where over 100 Waxwings were eating their way through the village's berry crop. A couple of Meadow Pipits flew past. I happened to look up from the bay and spotted 3 swans flying out in the direction of Newburgh. As they hadn't made any sound, I was hoping they were Whooper Swans, rather than just Mute Swans. The position of the feet relative to the tails did look promising for Whoopers but the angle wasn't promising for a definite ID. I took some photos anyway and later at home managed to find I had actually got a sliver of yellow visible on the bill of one of the birds. Number 153!
What was probably the 'regular' Pheasant was heard calling from its usual place as I stood at the top of the hill. I had a chat to a dog walker who was visiting the park for the first time (who had seen my posts on Twitter about the Saker Falcon). As the tide was on its way in I headed for the hide next. There were lots of Black Headed Gulls across the bay. A couple of Reed Buntings were seen in the hedge along with a few Greenfinch. From the hide, I found a Common Gull, a Goosander, a Great Black Backed Gull and a group of 4 Greylag Geese. Long Tailed Tits were near the exit and a Woodpigeon was perched on a lamp post by the road. A Grey Heron was spotted from the bridge as I headed for Invergowrie having managed a total of 46 species at the park despite having only spent 100 minutes there and not covered the whole park. As I was now in Perthshire I started another new list - Blackbird, Feral Pigeon, Robin, Long Tailed Tit and Jackdaw were immediately added to it before a flock of Waxwings overflew in the direction of the station.
Although I wasn't exactly short of Waxwing views over the course of the previous week, I decided to see if I could find the birds. I followed the road round, past the bridge over the burn and there was a tree full of over 100 Waxwings. A little further on were a few photographers including Angus Duncan and Mathieu Soetens. I took some photos of the birds in the tree before attempting to get some flight shots. Unfortunately the birds were mostly against the light, so I retreated to a small cul-de-sac where the light was better placed. Despite this, the success rate wasn't great. A Redwing joined the Waxwings in one of the trees where the birds were feeding. After 45 minutes or so, I decided to move on again. Pied Wagtail, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Herring Gull, Redshank, Magpie, Skylark and Siskin were all noted before I ventured back into 'Dundee' across the other side of the dual carriageway at the top end of the village.
A Great Tit was heard in the trees beyond the dual carriageway. I continued on through the grounds of the Landmark Hotel and followed the road up past Dykes of Gray. There were a few Pheasants in a roadside field and a Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen in flight. A flooded pool in a field on the other side of the road had a pair of Mallards in residence. A Jay flew across into a small wood. A few minutes further on, a Sparrowhawk took flight from the bushes ahead of me before hunting very low over the field opposite. There was no sign of any geese in the field where they had been last winter. I contemplated heading for home but instead decided I might as well check out by Benvie and up to Liff.
What I hadn't realised was that the recent storms had actually hit that area very badly. At Benvie there was a hole in a small bridge over the burn on the dirt track behind the houses. The actual road had barriers and a 'road closed' sign in place though there was no obvious reason as to why. I decided to continue on past the barrier and sign as a result. What I hadn't been able to see was that there was a very large hole in the bridge over the burn (a car had actually ended up in it!). I figured that the paths at the side were probably safe enough to support my weight and continued on. Thankfully, I was correct. There were a few gulls and a trio of Redshanks in a flooded field just beyond the bridge.
There weren't many birds to be seen or heard as I headed up the hill towards Liff. There was another 'road closed' sign on the road back into Liff. I figured that it was unlikely to be a hole this time and as there was a couple walking towards me I would continue on. It turned out that the road over the bridge was covered in thick mud and there was some damage to the road itself. It was easily passable on foot though. A Coal Tit was heard from the trees here. As I re-entered Liff a Mistle Thrush was on the wires to the north. What was probably a Jay impersonating a Buzzard was heard but not seen (though more typical Jay calls were also heard).
Rather than take the rather busy road back to Camperdown Park I headed back down the side of the 'geese field' to Dykes of Gray. I then cut back along the road towards the Myrekirk Asda and the Kingsway for the long walk home. By this time my legs were feeling fairly heavy but I had no real option other than to keep going. I added a few Tree Sparrows before I reached the cottages along the track then spotted a Grey Squirrel in amongst the trees down from the NCR building. A few Starlings flew into the industrial estate. I headed through the underpass into Charleston and added House Sparrows to the day's list in the hedge by the Kingsway. There were no other additions to the list for the day between there and home though I did find another flock of 10 Waxwings in trees at Angus Street just off Liff Road and then a Sparrowhawk flew up into trees across the road at Harefield Road. I arrived home just before 1600 having managed to see (or hear) a combined total of 58 species - made up of 37 species in Dundee, 46 at Riverside Nature Park and 16 in Perthshire. Although I was a little disappointed by the lack of geese and what amounted to a few additional miles I didn't really need to walk, it was good to add yet another long awaited #Dundee145 tick (in bold). Will I manage to add any more between now and December 31st?
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Red Throated Diver
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Cormorant (Sinensis race)
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Pied Wagtail
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Blue Tit
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| Goldfinch |
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Mute Swan
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Whooper Swan
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Greylag Goose, Dunlin & Redshank
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| Waxwing |
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| Waxwing |
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| Waxwing |
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| Waxwing |
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| Waxwing |
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| Waxwing |
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| Waxwing |
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| Waxwing |
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| Blackbird |
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| Pheasant |
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| Jay |
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| Jay |
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| Redshank |
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Black Headed Gull
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| Wren |
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Tree Sparrow
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Birds (Dundee) - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Cormorant, Dunnock, Fieldfare, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Red Throated Diver, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Siskin, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Tree Sparrow, Waxwing, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Mammals (Dundee) - Grey Seal, Grey Squirrel.
Birds (Riverside Nature Park) - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Fieldfare, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Lesser Redpoll, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher,
Pheasant, Pink Footed Goose, Redshank, Redwing, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral
Pigeon, Siskin, Skylark, Teal, Turnstone,
Waxwing, Whooper Swan, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Birds (Perthshire) - Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Siskin, Skylark, Waxwing.
