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Grey Wagtail
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There are still a few parts of Dundee that I've yet to explore properly from a birding perspective. I grew up in Fintry, on the northern edges of the city. Once or twice in the short period of time when we tried some birdwatching (as it was known back then) my Dad and I would walk out to Burnside of Duntrune and back. My only real memories of having done so were of being followed for a distance by a small dog and finding a mouse in the roadside grass on the same rather wintry day. I don't really remember what birds we might have seen but as the landscape has changed to some degree since that time, I have been intending to do some exploration anyway. Although Burnside of Duntrune lies a little outside of Dundee's boundaries, a road leading off from there takes you back into Dundee by Balumbie Golf Course (part of which also lies outside of Dundee).
I decided that I would finally visit these previously ignored parts of the city's northern limits on Saturday. My plan was to head down through Caird Park then out the Forfar Road before cutting along past the 'new' road to nowhere which runs parallel to Cheviot Crescent, which also appears to have changed greatly since I was last in that street. I would then walk out to Duntrune, passing Middleton Woods which was also a 'new' feature to me (and looks like it might be promising in a month or so's time as warblers etc return). I would then head down past Balumbie Golf Course, out to Clearwater Park before heading back along the Dighty then finally homewards. That was the basic plan and I wasn't really sure what I might reasonably expect to see, though my suspicions were of largely similar species to the Clearwater Park area.
A relatively early start saw me out the door at just before 0740. Goldfinch, Starling, Feral Pigeon, Herring Gull, Blackbird, Woodpigeon and House Sparrow made for a productive start. Following that initial rush things calmed down a little as I headed in the direction of Caird Park. Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Magpie, Meadow Pipit, Collared Dove and Dunnock were all noted with a Lesser Black Backed Gull seen on the Graham Street football pitches and a Wren calling from a nearby garden. Crossing the Kingsway to the golf course increased the list by a few more species with Blue Tit, Coal Tit, Song Thrush and a pair of Mallard noted on the walk down to the Gelly Burn.
I managed to walk past a Roe Deer buck without noticing it resting below the stand of conifers just west of the ponds, though I had decent views as it slowly stood up and walked a little further away once I did realise it was there. I continued on quickly to allow it to return to wher it had been. Long Tailed Tits were in the trees and there were a few Moorhen on the ponds. I cut through the old graveyard and spotted a Carrion Crow harassing a Sparrowhawk over the 9-hole golf course where a Buzzard also put in a brief appearance. Goldcrest, Chiffchaff and Great Spotted Woodpecker rounded off the birds list in Caird Park. Across the road at the Dighty Burn, a Great Tit, a Grey Wagtail and a Dipper were all seen.
I continued north along the Forfar Road passing Mill O'Mains and Fintry as I headed for the northern edges of Dundee. My detination there was Jack Martin Way, which was a bit of a 'road to nowhere' - clearly intended to house a few more car showrooms or business units that so far have never materialised. A few Greenfinches were around while Skylarks provided a musical background as they hung in the air high above the fields on both sides. A Common Gull was seen perched atop a lamp-post as was another Lesser Black Backed Gull. A drake Mallard waddled out onto the path a few feet in front of me. With the only water still a 100 metres or so away, it felt like an odd spot to see one. I spotted another Roe Deer up the slope in one of the fields before picking out a singing male Linnet in a distant bush. A few Yellowhammers were also noted - the first of a decent number dotted along the morning's route.
A pair of Goosander were seen speeding low over the crest of the hill out to the east as I reached the end of the road before following a short dirt track to the end of the road out to Burnside of Duntrune. It has been a long time since I've had any reason to be in this particular part of Dundee and in that time a small woodland (Middleton Wood) has been planted and grown up and within that woodland there is a reasonably sized pond. On it I could see a handful of Mallard and Moorhens as well as a pair of very welcome Little Grebes - my first of the year and the 99th species for my #Dundee145 list. I suspect the pond might prove productive for the likes of Sedge Warbler in another month's time or so.
I wandered on up the road, stopping to scan regularly. A group of half a dozen Roe Deer were sunning themselves at the top of a different field from the lone animal seen shortly before. I checked a large pool in a field in the hope of a Green Sandpiper or an early Little Ringed Plover but unsurprisingly saw neither. Not even a Wheatear, or a Sand Martin. I did manage to hear a Pheasant calling before I crossed into Angus. A Reed Bunting was seen opposite the houses in Duntrune before I headed down Balumbie Road past the golf course to take me back within Dundee's boundaries. Linnets and Yellowhammers, and a second Buzzard for the day were noted along with a few other species before I reached the 'border' again.
My original plan had been to wander out along Drumgeith Road and Drumsturdy Road to Clearwater Park and the 'new' cemetery but with Forties Road leading down past the recycling plant much closer I decided to take that option instead for an early look at the Dighty. An Oystercatcher and a pair of Bullfinches were spotted as I walked down the slight slope with Jackdaw, Pied Wagtail and one of the resident Sparrowhawks being noted near the bottom. Dipper and Kingfisher were both seen on the burn as I took my time wandering east along the path. Robin and Redwing were both seen in the trees on the south bank of the burn and a Chiffchaff was also seen and heard. There were a few appearances from a Buzzard as I then wandered back along the Dighty to Drumgeith Road.
From there I weighed up my options. I could do my usual Swannie Ponds and Baxter Park 'double' or pop down for a look at Eastern Cemetery. As I still felt like I had plenty of energy I chose a different option. I headed for Arbroath Road and found a route via Gardyne College to the eastern end of the Stannergate road. Cutting through the college I found another rookery with around a dozen or so nests in the trees by the car park. Rather disappointingly things were very quiet out on the Tay with a single Cormorant and a pair of Eider the only birds seen despite the very calm conditions. I decided to wander along the cycle path to City Quay for a look there, though my expectations were very low for adding anything.
The quay proved to be even quieter than the Tay so I headed for home. I contemplated going via Baxter Park and Swannie Ponds but my legs were by this time feeling rather heavy and knowing there was little likelihood of finding anything too unusual at either place I called it a day. Checking the list I discovered I was on 49 species for the day. Having already seen Sparrowhawk there didn't seem to be anything I was likely to be able to add. However as I neared home I spotted a large, rather lumbering bird high in the sky. It was a Grey Heron which I heard calling. A second Grey Heron wasn't far behind it and as they are not particularly common birds from home it felt like a nice way to end the 13 mile exploration of some new (old) spots, with an unexpected 50th species (including a Dundee #145 tick, in bold).
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| Rabbit |
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| Blackbird |
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Roe Deer
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| Mallard |
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| Chiffchaff |
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Lesser Black Backed Gull
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Meadow Pipit
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| Mallard |
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Little Grebe
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| Yellowhammer |
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| Yellowhammer |
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| Yellowhammer |
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| Linnet |
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| Oystercatcher |
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| Bullfinch |
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| Sparrowhawk |
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| Buzzard |
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Pied Wagtail
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| Dipper |
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| Redwing |
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Blue Tit
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| Dipper |
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| Wren |
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| Kingfisher |
Birds - Blackbird, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Cormorant, Dipper, Dunnock, Eider, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kingfisher, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet,
Little Grebe, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Redwing, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Skylark, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
Mammals - Rabbit, Roe Deer.
