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Long Tailed Tit
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Easterlies have been in short supply this Autumn, so when they do actually arrive, it is time to get out and about and see what they have brought with them - as they can bring in some unusual species - though very few of them seem to make it to Dundee. However, 36 hours of almost constant rain did put the brakes on the birding part making for a rather frustrating couple of days. Checking the weather forecast for Sunday the 8th of October, it appeared that the rain should finally fizzle out around lunchtime. I decided that I would head for Riverside Nature Park as soon as the sky looked like it wouldn't be adding to the copious amounts of water it had already deposited. I was organised and raring to go...
At 1215 I decided that the sky finally looked less threatening and headed out. Coal Tit and Goldcrest were in a small tree at the end of my street, both birds calling loudly as they fed among the remaining autmnal coloured leaves. Robin, Carrion Crow, Starling, Herring Gull, Magpie, Blue Tit and Jackdaw were noted on the walk up past the football stadiums. Grey Wagtail and a Meadow Pipit were next as I continued on along Byron Street. The pipit suggested that there were actually some migrants around. I routed through the trees on the Law, just in case. This did get me Wren, Woodpigeon and Treecreeper, as well as House Sparrow and Redwing - though only the last one was definitely a migrant. Great Tit was spotted at Balgay Cemetery as was a Dunnock.
I spotted a Jay not far into the grounds of Ninewells Hospital, a Grey Squirrel at the Arboretum, the first Blackbird and Chaffinch of the afternoon then a few Feral Pigeons as I neared the western end of the park. I scanned from the bridge over the railway first of all, knowing that it would be rather wet and muddy at the hide (as it proved to be). Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Black Headed Gull, Magpie, Redshank, Teal, Feral Pigeon, Dunlin, Cormorant, Great Black Backed Gull and Herring Gull got the park list for the afternoon under way. A very short visit to the hide added Robin, Greenfinch and Long Tailed Tit. I took my time wandering along the path into the main body of the park, though a Goldcrest was the only new addition on the way.
There were birds around but it wasn't nearly as productive as I had hoped it might be. I spotted a Chiffchaff in the small fenced off 'island' behind the wooden gate but it was otherwise rather unproductive there too. A Grey Wagtail flew over as I headed slowly round to check the 'bowl'. Some of the Goldfinches, Wren, Blue Tit, Song Thrush, Chaffinch, Bullfinch and Dunnocks I noted next might have been migrants but I had know way of knowing for sure. I picked up some Oystercatchers flying downriver as well as a few Black Tailed Godwits a bit closer in. There were actually some obvious migrants passing overhead - Meadow Pipits and Skylarks, while it was much likelier the Great Tit and Starlings I saw were 'locals'.
Having made a rather unproductive circuit of the top half of the park I ended up back at the picnic tables around 45 minutes later, just in time for a Peregrine to upset the Dunlin flock, which rushed around over towards the far side of the bay before finally settling back down after 30 seconds or so. A Pied Wagtail overflew and the first small skein of Pink Footed Geese arrived from the north, their distant calls announcing their approach well ahead of the actual overflight. A second visit to the Lochan turned up a Moorhen. A Curlew could be heard from the direction of the airport as I headed down into the lower half. A couple of Jackdaws were spotted in flight and a few Redwings finally put in an appearance. I heard a Great Spotted Woodpecker which I finally managed to track down and a Jay was my final find at the park.
The sky had looked like it was going to clear a little at one point during my visit to the park but it was by this time looking increasingly likely that it was going to rain again. I decided I should probably try to stay ahead of any impending downpour and headed out of the park. My only addition on the walk homewards was a flock of Long Tailed Tits on Riverside Avenue. It began to rain rather heavily as I passed the airport and despite sheltering at Magdalen Green for a wee while I did end up getting rather wet as I trudged homewards, though typically the rain did finally stop as I reached the top of the Hilltown, around 10 minutes from home. A little disappointingly, a rather low total of only 44 species were found across the afternoon (23 outwith the park and 41 at the park). The light was mostly awful so the photos taken proved to be mostly unusable. I suspect that I had been just a little too quick off the mark and that Monday morning might prove to be a bit better with calmer and drier weather forecast, though ultimately time would tell....
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| Greenfinch |
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Herring Gull
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| Goldfinch |
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Song Thrush
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| Bullfinch |
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Great Black Backed Gull
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Long Tailed Tit
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Song Thrush
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| Blackbird |
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| Robin |
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Feral Pigeon
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Grey Wagtail
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| Dunlin |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Blackbird |
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Pink Footed Goose
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| Goldfinch |
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Long Tailed Tit
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| Redwing |
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| Jay |
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| Redwing |
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| Redwing |
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| Chiffchaff |
Birds (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Blackbird, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Great Tit, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Meadow Pipit, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Starling, Treecreeper, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Mammals (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Grey Squirrel.
Birds (at Riverside Nature Park) - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Jay, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Redshank, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Teal, Woodpigeon, Wren.
