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Lesser Black Backed Gull
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Following on from Ian Ford's Blyth's Reed Warbler find and a bit of discussion as to whether it was actually 'in Dundee' or not, I did a bit of searching around online to find the extent of what constitutes Dundee city, and therefore the limits of where I can be when birding to be able to add to my Dundee145 list. My previous map wasn't zoomable, or even readable, due to the resolution of the map but it was mostly easy enough to discern where Dundee started and ended. I managed to find a map site which was actually zoomable and was easily able to confirm that where the Blyth's Reed Warbler was found was indeed part of Dundee. Checking further around the edges I discovered that I had a few more fields worth of countryside to play with to the north of Fintry and a little extra a bit further to the east. With a few species (Quail, Grey Partridge, Red Legged Partridge, Barn Owl and maybe Spotted Flycatcher) potentially available I decided on an early morning visit at the weekend.
On Saturday morning (17th June) I was up, organised and out the door for 0450. Routing through Caird Park, the chance of finding the Tawny Owl youngster was another potential bonus. The early start did suggest a better chance of an encounter with an owl than waiting a few hours before getting out would. Magpie, House Sparrow, Herring Gull, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Goldfinch, Woodpigeon, Starling and Blue Tit made for a relatively productive walk to Clepington Road where I found an agitated Magpie calling loudly. I was about to cross the road and having looked right, I turned back to look left and just saw the rear legs and tail of a Fox disappearing into a garden. I crossed the road and walked down Graham Street and into the park. A Song Thrush was feeding on one of the tees at the golf course and bit further away was a Roe Deer.
Goldcrest, Chiffchaff, Chaffinch, Blackcap and Coal Tit were all noted before I found some Blackbirds causing a racket from some conifers. There wasn't anywhere to get a particularly clear view but the noise did suggest there was something causing them to be annoyed and so animated. I tried from various spots but although I could see a few of the Blackbirds I failed to see the reason behind the noise. Had it been a Buzzard or Sparrowhawk I would have expected it to have flown off when I was nearby. I spent a bit longer than intended looking and this likely meant my chances of a Barn Owl hunting around Powrie Brae had been lessened somewhat.
I added Robin and Oystercatcher as I headed up through Mill O'Mains and up the Forfar Road. At the northern edge of Fintry, rather than my usual wander along Jack Martin Way I continued on up Powrie Brae past what we used to refer to as 'the Soldier' - the Black Watch Memorial. Skylark, Common Gull, Feral Pigeon, Long Tailed Tit, Yellowhammer, Wren, Pheasant, Sedge Warbler, Great Tit and Linnet were all noted as I walked round as far as the flyover (where Dundee stopped according to the map I had found). I doubledd back and scanned the garden at Powrie Castle where apparently there used to be breeding Spotted Flycatchers but wasn't really surprised to not find any. I wandered east along the road through the farm which added a few Swallows. A Grey Partridge, one of my targets for the morning, flushed from the side of the underground reservoir and flew off down the hill before I could react with the camera. Dundee145 tick number 123 on the list however.
Dunnock, Collared Dove and Jackdaw were next onto the list before I headed back down the hill towards Middleton Wood. A Red Admiral flitted around by the roadside. I was surprised to see there was still some water in the flooded field. Willow Warbler and Whitethroat were spotted near the entrance to the wood, with Rook and House Martin seen as I passed the small pool by the Berwick Drive junction. I wandered along Jack Martin Way to the north of Fintry which added Reed Bunting, Stock Dove, Greenfinch, Swift and Black Headed Gull to the morning's haul. I then doubled back to the junction from where I had intended on walking down to Drumgeith Road before heading east along the Dighty. Instead I decided to follow the road further east and then head out along Drumsturdy Road to check the crossroads area behind Clearwater Park.
The walk itself proved rather quiet but I stopped for a short rest at the small bridge at Baldovie Toll where I accidentally flushed a Dipper which was wandering around just below the bridge. Although there were birds around I failed to find anything new for the day until I was headed down to the Linlathen iron bridge where a few Sand Martins were seen overhead hawking for insects with Swifts and a few House Martins. A Pied Wagtail was seen a little later as I headed for the crossing over the dual carriageway. Walking back along the path on the south side of the road I got into conversation with a man headed in the same direction and we chatted about some of the local wildlife before going our separate ways at the eastern end of Douglas.
While watching a Dipper on the Fithie Burn, a Grey Wagtail also dropped in beside it, giving me another addition for the morning. Orange Tip, Large White and Green Veined White butterflies were active on the butterfly bank behind the recycling plant as the temperature warmed further. A Grey Heron flew down the burn as I eventually neared Drumgeith Road. By this time the combination of the early start and the long walk were beginning to tell on me and my legs felt rather heavy. Nevertheless I decided to head for Eastern Cemetery again. A Buzzard soared high over Mid Craigie and a Kestrel was seen at the Cemetery once again. A Grey Squirrel was running around among the gravestones as I wandered slowly up through the cemetery towards Swannie Ponds. A Bullfinch flew over at the ponds and the local Mute Swans and their 9 cygnets along with a few Coots and a Moorhen took the total for the day to 54 species of bird (including one welcome Dundee145 tick - in bold), 4 of mammal and 4 of butterfly making the 16.25 mile walk worth the effort involved.
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Roe Deer
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| Rabbit |
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Sedge Warbler
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| Linnet |
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| Goldfinch |
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| Swallow |
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| Whitethroat |
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Stock Dove
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Grey Wagtail
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| Dipper |
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Large White & Green Veined White
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| Buzzard |
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| Kestrel |
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| Woodpigeon |
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Common Gull
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Black Headed Gull
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House Martin
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| Moorhen |
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Common Gull
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Birds - Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Coot, Dipper, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Partridge, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sand Martin, Sedge Warbler, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Swift, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
Butterfly - Green Veined White, Large White, Orange Tip, Red Admiral.
Mammals - Fox, Grey Squirrel, Rabbit, Roe Deer.
