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Siberian Chiffchaff
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Despite having been to Riverside Nature Park just a few days earlier in search of Keith's latest new addition to the park list, a Snow Goose, I decided to visit again on the Sunday in the hope that I might too rustle up something new. Although I had already seen the trio of Woodcock, Snipe and Jack Snipe earlier in the year, I wanted to see if any of them had returned to the park yet. With plenty of recent rain having fallen the chances of the latter pair of species were probably the best they had been for a few years with lots of over-saturated ground and large pools. I packed the thermal imager in with the camera gear before heading out into the darkness just after 0700 so I could get to the park around sunrise.
I started the day's list with a very typical quartet of species in the pre-dawn gloom - Herring Gull, Robin, Blackbird and Carrion Crow. Wren, Dunnock and Magpie continued the run of very much expected birds. The football pitches at Lochee Park held a mixed flock of gulls and I managed to pick out Black Headed and Common Gulls there. House Sparrows were heard calling from their bit of hedge near the junction of Ancrum Road and Charleston Drive. Goldcrest and Siskin were heard in Balgay Cemetery and I managed to add Pied Wagtail as I headed down Ninewells Avenue then Long Tailed Tits in the hospital grounds. A surprise overhead was a Cormorant heading over westwards. Woodpigeon, a skein of Pink Footed Geese leaving the river to head inland, some of the local Jackdaws and a calling Nuthatch were all noted as I made my way through the Arboretum behind the hospital. Redwings were seen high in the trees with Blue Tits much lower down and both Chaffinch and Bullfinch were heard near the Carseview Centre. I managed one final addition before reaching the park with a Grey Wagtail overflying as I neared the Perth Road just a few minutes after 0800 and an hour after leaving the house.
My list for the park started off with Magpie, Pink Footed Geese, Mallard, Robin, Herring Gull, Feral Pigeon, Chaffinch, Blackbird, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Carrion Crow and Starling all around the western end. With the tide well out there wasn't a great deal of point in lingering so I set off into the park. As I neared the junction of the paths a flock of around 50 Waxwings circled round before settling in bushes overlooking the bay. They didn't stay there long however and as they flew off in the direction of the hide, they were joined by at least another 20 or so in a smaller flock. I continued on towards the picnic tables to scan through the large flock of geese still present out on the river.
A shout and a wave from the top of the hill as I set up my small scope alerted me to the fact that Ian Ford and a group with scopes were also checking out the post-roost geese on the river so I hurried up the slope to see if they'd found anything that wasn't a Pink Footed Goose. Unfortunately, they'd had no luck either. I told them about the Waxwings and they headed off after a few minutes to see if they could find them (which they did). I spent a while at the top of the hill. Teal, Linnet, Siskin, Black Headed Gull, Fieldfare, Red Breasted Merganser, Mute Swan, Redshank, Woodpigeon and Great Black Backed Gull were all noted over the next 30 minutes of so. Ian had mentioned they'd seen a Chiffchaff and I picked one out down in the bushes beyond the path as it foraged around in the early morning light. Bullfinch and Dunnock were then noted as I headed off down from the hill. A flock of Redwings were in the bushes to the south of the path. Having drawn a blank on any unusual geese I decided to head for the likely spots for Snipe and Woodcock in the lower half of the park before the expected dog walkers arrived en masse. Song Thrush was spotted just up from the car park along with a few more Bullfinches and a very confiding Goldcrest.
Unfortunately, a Wren was the only new bird found while trying to find Snipe or Woodcock. I had a probable Siberian Chiffchaff and a definite Chiffchaff in the willows just south of Buzzard Wood along the edge of the 'boggy area'. Heading back for a look at the bay again, I spooked a Rabbit. My second check of the bay got Bar Tailed Godwit, Dunlin and Oystercatcher for the day's list. A lady from the Carse of Gowrie I'd spoken to before stopped to chat and as we talked about birds I heard a very unexpected (and late) Common Sandpiper calling three times from down in the bay. I scanned carefully for the bird later while checking the waders but failed to see it. Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Long Tailed Tit, Common Gull, Pied Wagtail, Cormorant, Blue Tit, Jackdaw and Goldfinch were added as I took my time exploring the park rather slowly. Moorhen was noted on a visit to the still rather extended Lochan along with plenty of Teal.
Looking out over the bay near the picnic tables I heard a call I wasn't sure of, and I managed to get a recording of it, before I tracked down the source. It was a very pale and obvious Siberian Chiffchaff and I was able to get some reasonable photos (and a lot of out of focus ones), as well as a video clip. As I watched it, at least 1, and possibly 2, other Siberian Chiffchaffs were heard calling and at least 1 other was seen while I still had the original bird still in sight. A bit later I heard a what I thought might be a Rock Pipit but photos showed it to be another Meadow Pipit. I was on my way out of the park just about 1315 when I spotted a Sparrowhawk a little to the north, my 46th species at the park on this particular visit. On my way along Riverside Avenue I picked up a second Sparrowhawk which was being hassled by a Carrion Crow. A Great Tit was spotted in the trees near the steps up towards the Botanic Gardens. What I was expecting to be one of the earlier Sparrowhawks high in the sky as I headed up the hill turned out to be a surprise Kestrel. I had a bit of a wander at Balgay Hill which got me decent views of a Jay and a Grey Squirrel or two. Coal Tit was also added near the Observatory. I managed one final addition to the day's list as I headed up towards the Law with a Greenfinch in one of the big gardens on the lower slopes.
Nothing new was seen from the top of the Law where I stopped for a short while before continuing on homewards as the light began to 'go'. Afternoons in the winter months are never long enough with often less than 3 hours of activity and worthwhile light. I finished the day with a combined total of 53 species (46 at the park, and 29 outwith). Despite Siberian Chiffchaff's rather obvious differences from 'normal' Chiffchaff it only counts as a subspecies, so my 'best' bird of the day doesn't actually count as a new addition to the park's list or my Dundee145 list (other than as a side-note), though 'my list, my rules'....
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| Waxwing |
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| Fieldfare |
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Great Black Backed Gull
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Pink Footed Goose
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| Goldcrest |
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| Goldcrest |
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Song Thrush
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| Chaffinch |
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| Chiffchaff |
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| Chiffchaff |
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| Moorhen |
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| Dunlin |
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Mute Swan
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| Bullfinch |
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Siberian Chiffchaff
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| Goosander |
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Herring Gull
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Siberian Chiffchaff
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| Bullfinch |
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| Blackbird |
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Meadow Pipit
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Carrion Crow & Sparrowhawk
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| Kestrel |
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| Jay |
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Carrion Crow
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Birds (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Cormorant, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Kestrel, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Nuthatch, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Redwing, Robin, Siskin, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Mammals (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Grey Squirrel.
Birds (at Riverside Nature Park) - Bar Tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Carrion Crow,
Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, (also Siberian Chiffchaff), Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Cormorant, Dunlin, Dunnock, Fieldfare, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great
Tit, Greenfinch, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Linnet, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Pink
Footed Goose, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Siskin, Skylark, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Teal, Waxwing, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Mammals (at Riverside Nature Park) - Rabbit.
