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Pied Wagtail
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There has been a bit of excitement in Fife this week with an odd looking Diver species off Leven finally being conclusively identified following closer views as a Pacific Diver. Pacific Diver is the one Diver species I've yet to see (not surprisingly, as this bird will be the first mainland record for Scotland - if accepted). I've seen the other 4 species in Fife (as well as elsewhere), so adding Pacific Diver would complete the set for me. I considered the possibility of twitching the bird on Saturday, but the thought of spending a couple of hours on a couple of different buses in each direction really didn't appeal to me. Increasingly, my 'life list' feels like something I'm not all that fussed about. Granted, it is always nice to see a new bird, to learn what to look out for, but I decided not to bother. My Dundee145 list is more important to me this year, so I decided to try for what should be a 'gettable' species for that list instead of a 'lifer'. Changed days indeed.
The species in question was Tree Sparrow. They are plentiful in the Autumn as they disperse following the breeding season, with birds overflying and dropping into Riverside Nature Park as well as elsewhere. Outwith that time of year, I have 2 relatively reliable spots at opposite end of the northern extremities of the city. I decided to try the northeastern option. Although it is slightly less reliable, the supporting cast is better and there is more to see on the way there than the alternative at the other end of the city. I headed out at 1010, which was probably a bit later than I ideally would have liked. Feral Pigeon, Jackdaw, Herring Gull, Magpie, Robin, Starling and Carrion Crow got things off to a fairly unspectacular start. Blue Tit, House Sparrow, Goldfinch and Fieldfare soon followed as I headed in the direction of Swannie Ponds.
I arrived at the ponds around 15 minutes after leaving the house. Mallard, Tufted Duck, Coot, Mute Swan, Goosander, Moorhen, Common Gull, Black Headed Gull and Herring Gull were all present and correct, along with a very tame Pied Wagtail, a few Feral Pigeons and a calling Chaffinch. I continued on my way to the Dighty Burn via the Kingsway and Longtown Road. Dunnock was the only addition on the walk to the "burnie", as it was known when I was growing up in Fintry. I arrived at the burn just shortly after 1100. There was a small flock of Redwings and a larger flock of Goldfinches in the trees along the edge of the football pitches. I heard but failed to see a Bullfinch and a Wren also kept a low profile despite calling loudly from cover.
Song Thrush, Blue Tit and Great Tit were next onto the list before the first Dippers of the day were heard near the halfway bridge. An Oystercatcher flew over but there was no sign of the usual Buzzard. I did however add a Sparrowhawk nearby before a Grey Wagtail flew past. Another few Dippers were seen on the burn but again there was no sign of the Kingfisher nor rather surprisingly any Grey Heron. A pair of Goosander on the burn were a lot more cautious than the birds at Swannie Ponds. Another Sparrowhawk took off low along the burn, which is something I've seen in the same area previously - perhaps an individual targetting Kingfisher and Dipper?
I decided not to try the area by the industrial estate as a dog walker just beat me to it, so I headed along the dual carriageway to negotiate the busy section of Drumsturdy Road before cutting off along the muddy track towards Clearwater Park and the new cemetery. Coal Tit was heard and a small group of Pink Footed Geese looked like they were about to land in one of the fields. There were Long Tailed Tits in the bushes but no obvious Tree Sparrows. The field to the south contained a mix of Woodpigeons and Stock Doves. To the north I spotted a trio of Skylarks low over the field there. A Yellowhammer was heard near the crossroads as was a Great Spotted Woodpecker.
I decided to continue on past the crossroads as I've had Tree Sparrow in one of the field edge bushes here but a trio of Chaffinches and a Dunnock was as good as things got before I chanced upon a Mistle Thrush in one of the larger trees beyond the houses. A Fieldfare was in another treetop a little further on. I had a short chat to a dog walker who asked about the birds that could be found in that area. As I headed back along the track a Grey Wagtail dropped down by the edge of a puddle before flying off over the roofs a few seconds later. A rather pale bellied Buzzard was seen gaining height near the crossroads before the local Kestrel put in an appearance. Wandering up to the cemetery,, I spotted a pair of Brown Hares in one of the fields though they had gone when I returned a little later. They were my 8th species of mammal in the city this year, already.
A Pheasant broke cover as I explored the small area between the track and the cemetery site. A Greenfinch was heard as I wandered down towards the stables, but there was still no sign of any Tree Sparrows. There were around half a dozen or so Skylarks feeding in the field to the west along with Stock Doves, Woodpigeons and Curlews. I added Rook to the day's list before retracing my route back to the Dighty. The low sun made seeing anything much along the burn rather tricky though one new addition for the day was a Jay. A Buzzard posed nicely on a lamp post too and I managed to see a Great Spotted Woodpecker in the tops of the trees by the football pitches, as well as a Bullfinch. Somewhat surprisingly, there was still no sign of any Grey Herons.
I checked the Swannie Ponds again on the walk home, finding a few more Goosander and a returning Black Headed Gull (green J63P - another Norwegian ringed winter regular). One final addition was a Collared Dove seen in flight just seconds after I had noted that I hadn't yet seen one that day. That took my total for the day to a nice round 50 species of birds. Although I had failed to catch up with my target bird for the day, the weather was relatively mild (mostly) and it was a reasonably enjoyable day's birding. While the list of birds seen by others at Largo Bay were probably a bit more interesting, none of them would have counted for my Dundee145 list....
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| Moorhen |
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Pied Wagtail
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Woodpigeon & Magpie
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Common Gull
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| Redwing |
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| Woodpigeon |
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| Goosander |
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| Dipper |
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| Sparrowhawk |
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Mistle Thrush
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| Fieldfare |
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Grey Wagtail
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| Buzzard |
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Pink Footed Goose
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Brown Hare
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| Kestrel |
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Woodpigeon & Skylark
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| Sparrowhawk |
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| Buzzard |
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| Bullfinch |
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Black Headed Gull (green J63P)
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| Goosander |
Birds - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Coot, Curlew, Dipper, Dunnock, Fieldfare, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Kestrel, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Siskin, Skylark, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Tufted Duck, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
Mammals - Brown Hare.
