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| Whitethroat |
My run of 4 consecutive days each with 2 new additions to my Dundee145 list had been a better than expected start to my week and half off work. It did slightly complicate things however as I'd managed to catch up with most of the hoped for though 'expected' birds that I had been targetting and even managed a couple of slightly more unexpected birds too. I would have to play things by ear and hope to run into migrants passing through for the rest of my break. Having already visited most of the best sites around the city and caught up with most of what I realistically thought I might, I decided to try Riverside Nature Park again on Wednesday as it offered the most variety of different habitat types in a small area while also having a track record of delivering the odd unexpected migrant.
I headed out at 0655 for the hour or so's walk to the park. Although not being too much later than I would normally walk to work things felt a little bit quieter. Hering Gull, Blue Tit, Feral Pigeon, Blackbird, Chaffinch, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow, Grey Wagtail, Woodpigeon, Jackdaw and Lesser Black Backed Gull got the list underway. Rather than follow my usual route towards work I had chosen to take a slightly different route via Magdalen Green and the football pitches opposite. Goldfinch, Dunnock, Magpie, Starling, Blackcap, Greenfinch and Chiffchaff were noted as I headed for, and then across Dudhope Park. Heading down Taylor's Lane added Goldcrest to the list and there were a few Rabbits around just over the railway line.
I crossed the main road and wandered down to check the exposed mud at the river. There were a couple of Pied Wagtails wandering around on the grass and a Grey Heron was conspicuous down by the water's edge. Slightly better camouflaged amongst the seaweed strewn section of exposed mud was a Curlew. A Cormorant flew out over the river before turning upriver. A few Swallows swept in from the river a little out towards the railway bridge. I continued on towards the Nature Park. A Willow Warbler was singing from the trees by the road and Skylark was heard as I passed the airport. A Wren was calling loudly as I neared the park just before 0815.
As is often the case the first few minutes at the eastern end of the park provided a bit of a glut of species with Chaffinch, Blackbird, Dunnock, Hering Gull, Carrion Crow, Robin, Magpie, Woodpigeon, Oystercatcher, Wren, Willow Warbler, Blue Tit, Blackcap and Swallow all found within the first 5 minutes. Things calmed down to more of a steady flow with Whitethroat, Song Thrush, Greenfinch, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Rook, Feral Pigeon, Great Tit, Coal Tit and Jackdaw filling the next 10 minutes of exploring. The Lochan had a pair of Mallard but nothing else, though a Reed Bunting was seen close by. Goldfinches were in the bushes as I wandered round for a look at the bay.
I scanned initially with binoculars before switching to my small Svbony scope. Black Headed Gull, Shelduck, Black Tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Curlew and Teal were all found while the Pheasant called from its usual spot. Yellowhammer, Chiffchaff and Linnet were around as were a few Whitethroats. More scanning in the bay gave me Cormorant, Common Gull and Mute Swan before an Osprey appeared and landed on the pipe with its catch from further out on the river. It didn't take too long for the local crows to take an interest and to try to annoy the Osprey enough that it might leave its fish. It didn't work. A Grey Heron dropped in and I picked up the Greenshank as it flew into the bay, landing in the burn outflow slightly downstream from the gull bathing area. A couple of Buzzards circled to the north. I wandered back to the Lochan again where a Moorhen was seen in the vegetation to the right of the screen.
A Sand Martin flew past and I found a few Long Tailed Tits before I spotted a Stock Dove in flight. Back round at the bay I picked out a flock of Bar Tailed Godwits before finding a Common Sandpiper near the water's edge down to my left. Redshanks had been notably absent but I finally found a pair of them tucked in by the pipe. I thought I heard a brief burst of Sedge Warbler song but the bird had stopped singing before I could be certain. Thankfully, a little later, I found not one but two singing Sedge Warblers though both stayed hidden from sight. I had set myself a target figure of 50 species at the park and having passed that figure I decided to head elsewhere. A Bullfinch flew past as I passed behind Buzzard Wood and a Sparrowhawk was seen as I reached the wooden gate at the eastern end, taking my total at the park to 54 species.
I headed up to Balgay Hill to check on the known Nuthatch nest sites. Long Tailed Tit and Coal Tit were noted on the walk up and as previously there was a Nuthatch calling in the vicinity of the nest site where I've seen a pair recently. I did manage to see the bird a few times before I moved on to check the other 2 nest sites from last year. The original nest site which was also used last year appears to not be in use this year, though again another calling Nuthatch wasn't too far away. I heard yet another Nuthatch near the third nest site but I was unable to check the nest site from last year properly due to a lady sat nearby who I didn't want to cause any reason for alarm by hanging around nearby with a camera, so I continued on past.
Stock Dove, Robin and Jay were found as I wandered around the hill and a Buzzard flew over at one point. I checked Cox's Stack for Peregrine and could see there was one perched on the ledge but when I passed later on the walk home it was no longer there. Heading back along Pentland Avenue on my way home from the hill, I stopped to photograph a Sparrowhawk circling up over the allotments and the road. As with the park half of the list, the Sparrowhawk proved to be the final addition which took the 'outwith the park' list to 37 species and a combined total of 62 species which was a decent total for the day's efforts. Despite failing to add anything new, unsurprisingly, I'd had another fairly good day's birding.
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Grey Heron
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| Curlew |
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| Robin |
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Dunlin & Black Tailed Godwit
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Osprey & Carrion Crow
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| Rabbit |
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Stock Dove
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Common Gull
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Common Sandpiper
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| Dunlin |
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| Swallow |
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| Shelduck |
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| Yellowhammer |
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| Yellowhammer |
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Greenshank & Redshank
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| Cormorant |
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| Buzzard |
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Lesser Black Backed Gull & Herring Gull
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Coal Tit
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| Jay |
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| Nuthatch |
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| Peregrine |
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| Sparrowhawk |
Birds (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Nuthatch, Peregrine, Pied Wagtail, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Skylark, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Mammals (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Rabbit.
Birds (at Riverside Nature Park) - Bar Tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch,
Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Goldfinch,
Great Tit, Greenfinch, Greenshank, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Long Tailed Tit,
Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sand Martin, Sedge Warbler, Shelduck, Skylark,
Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Stock Dove, Swallow, Teal, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon,
Wren, Yellowhammer.
Mammals (at Riverside Nature Park) - Rabbit.
