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Little Grebe
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Having not been down to Riverside Nature Park for a week and a half, a visit was overdue. Although Saturday visits tend to find the park quite busy with dog walkers, I decided I would give it a go anyway. I wasn't sure how things would go, but with the timing of the tides there was a possibility of catching it going out and if I hung around long enough be able to catch it on its way back in as well. This would hopefully double my chances of finding some passage migrant waders - Ruff, Curlew Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, Little Stint etc. I was a bit later than intended when I set off for the park around 0810.
It was a bit colder than forecast and quite windy, neither of which was particularly good news. The morning's list commenced with a run of Herring Gull, Woodpigeon, Blue Tit, House Sparrow, Starling, Wren, Goldcrest, Feral Pigeon, Carrion Crow and Chaffinch. My route to the park took me via the Law and Balgay Hill with Willow Warbler, Dunnock, Blackbird, Coal Tit, Magpie, Robin, Bullfinch, Pied Wagtail, Greenfinch, Stock Dove and Black Headed Gull all making the list for the walk to the park. I reached the western end a few minutes before 0930. I scanned first from the bridge over the railway line. Goldfinch, Herring Gull, Blue Tit, Feral Pigeon, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Mallard, Black Headed Gull, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Wren and Jackdaw made for a decent, if rather unspectacular, start to the park list for the day.
From the hide I was able to add Magpie, Woodpigeon and Great Tit before continuing on along into the main part of the park. Whitethroat, Great Tit, Blackbird and Robin were found along the edges of the path. I found Keith scanning the bay from the raised banking to the north of the picnic tables. He pointed out a pair of Little Egrets working their way along the edge of the reeds, sometimes hidden from view, sometimes out in the open on the mud. This was the first 'multiple' record of the species at the park - though we have a way to go to reach the heights of the 20+ recently seen from the Eden Estuary Centre at Guardbridge, or even the more recent 9 at Montrose Basin. Small White and Meadow Brown butterflies were seen flitting around between the fenceline and ourselves, where they were reasonably sheltered from the worst of the wind.
Out in the bay there were plenty of Redshanks, as well as a few Cormorants. A distant Sandwich Tern was seen (and heard) in flight. A few Swallows passed overhead and out over the bay. Keith headed off and I decided I would try to stay motivated to still be at the park when the tide turned and started to come back in again. Teal and Grey Heron were picked out among the other birds visible in the bay but the combination of wind and rather poor visibility, due to a very grey and overcast sky, made things trickier than I'd hoped. A Sparrowhawk swept past low over the bushes, upsetting some of the waders, including a few Common Sandpipers which were heard calling loudly somewhere down by the shoreline.
I had a wander round the top half of the park, noting Chiffchaff, Carrion Crow, Grey Wagtail, Stock Dove, Greenfinch and Blackcap though overall things felt very quiet for a typical morning in mid-August. A few Linnets overflew and a visit to the Lochan found a Little Grebe there again, as well as a few Moorhen youngsters and an adult bird. A Buzzard was spotted to the north and continuing on with my wanders I eventually added a few overflying Starlings. The wind was keeping most of the smaller birds rather quiet and it took a bit more effort before I finally found a Yellowhammer. Another hour of wandering slowly found me back at the Lochan again where I managed to add Swift to the list. However, it still wasn't quite enough to keep my waning interest levels up and I chose to head homewards rather than try to stick around for another few hours to be able to see some movement in the tide.
The walk back home was fairly quiet as well with Collared Dove being noted on Glamis Road and a Great Tit found at Balgay Hill. My combined total for the day's efforts was a relatively low one with just 49 species - made up of 40 at the park, and 23 outwith. The rather poor light also meant that I took relatively few photos and most of those I did take were of rather distant birds rather than frame filling close-ups that it is sometimes possible to get. Although it was hardly a classic visit to the park, it was good to get the 2 Little Egrets there, as they are still fairly uncommon visitors, though no doubt the numbers will slowly creep upwards over the next few years. We might even see a Great White Egret, or even a Cattle Egret at some point. Here's hoping....
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| Robin |
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Little Egret
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Grey Heron & Cormorant
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| Blackbird |
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| Blackbird |
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Grey Wagtail
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| Greenfinch |
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Little Grebe
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| Starling |
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| Buzzard |
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| Swallow |
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| Swallow |
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Feral Pigeon
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| Swift |
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| Swift |
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| Sparrowhawk |
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| Sparrowhawk |
Birds (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Magpie, Pied Wagtail, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Starling, Stock Dove, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Birds (at Riverside Nature Park) - Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chiffchaff, Common Sandpiper, Cormorant, Curlew, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Little Egret, Little Grebe, Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Sandwich Tern, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Swift, Teal, Whitethroat, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
Butterflies (at Riverside Nature Park) - Meadow Brown, Small White.
