1244 : Anti-Clockwise (14/4/24)

Turnstone

Having had a successful Saturday's birding I decided to head in the opposite direction on Sunday. I planned an early start to hopefully be able to intercept incoming migrants crossing the Tay before the dog walkers took over the beaches. Wheatear was my main target, although it was relatively unlikely, but as I know only too well if I don't try, I definitely won't find one. I would wander out to Balmossie to check the gull roost and anything out on the river before heading back inland to Clearwater Park then head home along the Dighty Burn before the forecast heavy rain showers were due to arrive. With a bit of luck I would add something new to the Dundee150 list and manage to stay dry too...

It was around 0610 when I stepped outside and found Starling, Blackbird, House Sparrow, a surprise Greenfinch, Feral Pigeon, Herring Gull and Goldfinch almost immediately. Jackdaw and Carrion Crow were next and a Meadow Pipit was heard calling from somewhere overhead but went through unseen. I had decided to head for the Docks Way cycle path rather than visit either Swannie Ponds or Baxter Park. Dunnock was noted on Arbroath Road with Lesser Black Backed Gull a minute later. The first Magpie of the day was on Baffin Street with a Collared Dove and a Woodpigeon when I reached South Baffin Street. A Chiffchaff was heard singing from a small tree. 

A Grey Wagtail flew over as I continued on down Market Street to East Dock Street where an Oystercatcher rather noisily appeared from the direction of the docks. A Song Thrush called from the other side of the railway line. The walk out along the cycle path added Robin, Chaffinch, Blackcap and some high flying Black Headed Gulls. The usual Rabbits were in their usual spots when I reached the Stannergate. By the small car park there I noted a few Linnets in the bushes and a small number of Eider offshore. The first of the day's Turnstones were on the grass by the sailing club building and I managed to grab some photos involving a worm which definitely didn't survive its encounter with this particular small group of waders.

I happened to look up just as a small group of 5 silent goose shaped birds passed overhead flying to the west. These turned out to be Shelduck and I watched them land beyond the fence at the end of the harbour. A few more Black Headed Gulls and then the first Common Gulls were next on the list. I almost missed a pair of Ringed Plover in their (semi-)usual spot among the pebbles near one of the ramps a little further on. Redshank and Cormorant were noted as I continued on towards the castle. A Rock Pipit was heard at Beach Crescent and a Red Throated Diver was seen flying upriver over towards the Tayport side of the river. A Grey Heron flew over the playpark, though heading in the opposite direction of the Sparrowhawk which showed up 30 seconds later, drawing a response from a pair of Pied Wagtails as well as a few Starlings.

I wandered round to sit on the rocks behind the castle as the tide receded. A distant flock of Teal were the only new addition from there, though there appeared to be plenty of gulls moving, especially Common Gulls. Despite it still being pre-0900, the shoreline was already quite busy with both swimmers and walkers, as well as numerous dogs. I continued on east towards Balmossie. Thankfully, things were still relatively quiet towards that end of the Esplanade compared to the Castle end. I was able to add Bar Tailed Godwits, Wigeon, Curlew, Red Breasted Merganser, Dunlin and a lone Mute Swan around the Dighty Burn outflow and nearby.

By around 1000 I decided it was time to head inland and I headed up South Balmossie Street to North Balmossie Street and onwards to Balgillo Road. I accidentally spooked a couple of Grey Herons from the heronry by the burn but otherwise there wasn't too much of interest between Balmossie and Clearwater Park. I did find a few Long Tailed Tits in the bushes down by the A92. There were Rooks in the trees behind the houses at Strathtyre Avenue. A Buzzard circled to the north and a Sparrowhawk overflew as I passed the rookery. A Willow Warbler sang from the trees overlooking the Dighty Burn. I crossed the Linlathen bridge stopping briefly when I noticed a Roe Deer a little off to the east. A pair of Pheasants wandered past the deer and I continued on up the hill towards the Stables, stopping to photograph a Peacock butterfly by the path on the walk up.

A Grey Squirrel was seen in the trees by the Stables and Skylarks could be heard singing above the field to the west of the track. Great Tit and Stock Dove were both noted before I reached the 'crossroads' and a Yellowhammer made it on to the list across the other side of the 'crossroads'. A Kestrel overflew me as I wandered back down the track again, having heard Blackcap, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff near the Cemetery. Another Sparrowhawk was seen circling high above as I headed along to the Murroes Burn. A Swallow could be seen rather distantly zipping around low over the fields to the south. I wandered through the trees which backed onto West Pitkerro Industrial Estate where a pair of Jays eluded my camera's focus.

At the end of Barlow Avenue I stopped for a minute or two, just in time to see a skein of Pink Footed Geese overflying from the south. I had to hurriedly change the battery of my camera at this point, though I did manage a few photos just before the birds disappeared over the trees I had just walked through minutes before. There was a small flock of Meadow Pipits in the field bordered by the Dighty and Murroes Burn, as well a couple of Skylarks, a few Oystercatchers, some Rooks and Jackdaws and what was likely the same Swallow I'd noticed earlier. I had a short chat to a dog walker before moving on again. It was around mid-day by this time and the sky was beginning to look rather threatening. Other than a few conifers the chances of finding anything like reasonable shelter from what appeared to be impending rain seemed rather slim.

I crossed the main road. A pair of Bullfinches flew across the burn and the Kingfisher swept past me at high speed heading downstream. Things were relatively quiet along the burn, though Wren, Goldcrest and Siskin were all spotted. A single Dipper was glimpsed by the small weir by the 'halfway bridge'. I had a short chat with a local a bit further on, who told me about a group of 4 Foxes he'd watched in the same area while he was actually stood in the burn. I continued on past Drumgeith Park where a couple more Buzzards were seen soaring. A Kestrel hovered high above the new houses at the foot of Longhaugh Brae. The grey cloud of earlier had given way (slightly) to a bit of blue sky but not for long. There was a brief shower as I walked up Pitkerro Road towards the Kingsway. I made a quick stop at Swannie Ponds which added Mallard, Coot, Moorhen and Tufted Duck to the list for the day, taking the total to a very decent 67 species. I suspect the same route in a week or 2 might add as many as 10 more species to the total, and I will probably give it a go early next month. Although I failed to add Wheatear or anything else to my Dundee150 list it was a worthwhile effort making the 15 mile round trip.

Linnet

Shelduck

Ringed Plover

Turnstone

Redshank

Magpie

Eider

Rock Pipit

Cormorant

Rock Pipit

Bar Tailed Godwit

Meadow Pipit

Collared Dove

Roe Deer

Robin

Kestrel

Woodpigeon & Pheasant

Stock Dove

Sparrowhawk

Pink Footed Goose

Herring Gull

Swallow

Skylark

Blue Tit

Buzzard

Jay

Mute Swan

Tufted Duck

Birds - Bar Tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Dipper, Dunlin, Dunnock, Eider, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Kestrel, Kingfisher, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Red Throated Diver, Ringed Plover, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook, Shelduck, Siskin, Skylark, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Teal, Tufted Duck, Turnstone, Wigeon, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.

Butterflies - Peacock.

Mammals - Grey Squirrel, Rabbit, Roe Deer.

1243 : Where's My Willow Warbler? (13/4/24)

Greenfinch

Having spent most of the preceding week attempting to add Willow Warbler to my Dundee150 list, but only succeeding in finding Waxwings, I wanted to make sure that I finally managed to get the target bird on Saturday. I decided I would get out nice and early and hopefully finally succeed. I would head to Riverside Nature Park where I figured the bird should be almost guaranteed given Lainy had found the species at Clatto on Friday, and Steph had also managed to get one in Invergowrie on the same day. With the Nature Park offering a reasonable chance of adding something else for the list as well, I chose to head there rather than Clatto, which might have been more reliable.

I headed out just before 0640 for the walk to Riverside Nature Park. I had searched the length of The Miley on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to no avail, but an early morning visit seemed to suggest a better chance of finding a singing bird than a later visit might. Herring Gull, Starling, Jackdaw and House Sparrow greeted me as I stepped outside. Dunnock and a couple of overflying Meadow Pipits were noted as I wandered up Tannadice Street. A Lesser Black Backed Gull was on a roof at Densfield Court. Magpie, Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Blue Tit, Feral Pigeon, Robin, Blackbird, Goldfinch, Grey Wagtail and Chaffinch were found between there and Hospital Street. I hoped that I might find a Willow Warbler singing from within Kings Cross Hospital grounds but I was once again out of luck.

Wren, Chiffchaff and Blackcap were all noted on Clepington Road as I neared the northern end of The Miley. There was rather more activity than on my previous visits which had been later in the day, and a singing Song Thrush provided another new species for the day. A little further on, I heard, then saw, what I was hoping to find - my first Willow Warbler of the year. A second bird chased it off (either a Chiffchaff or another Willow Warbler) but my camera was still in my bag anyway, so it didn't matter too much. Goldcrest, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tits and Siskin were noted before I reached the Loons Road end of the reserve. I cut up towards Gibbs Lane in search of Waxwings but was unsurprised to find none - my first non-Waxwing day since the previous Saturday.

There were still a few Common Gulls on the football pitches at Lochee Park and Greenfinch, while Stock Dove and 2 calling Nuthatches were noted in Balgay Cemetery. A Sparrowhawk flew over before being accosted by a Carrion Crow as I cut down Oxford Street. On reaching Riverside Avenue a few minutes later, my view was blocked by trees as I heard a 'prukking' Raven which sounded like it was heading east. I finally reached the Nature Park's eastern entrance at 0750. Blackbird, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Woodpigeon and Magpie made for quite a slow start to the visit. A Mallard dropped in to a small pool in the tree plantation by the road. I added Song Thrush and Blackcap on the short stretch of path up to the top half.

A Skylark took to the air above the hill, while Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Dunnock, Great Tit, Robin and Jackdaw were all found within a minute or so in the upper section of the park. Feral Pigeon, another Willow Warbler and a Meadow Pipit were next onto the list as I set off for the Lochan. A few Rabbits ran across the path ahead of me. An Oystercatcher and a much higher Herring Gull flew over and a Moorhen flushed from the flooded shallow ditch at the start of the long straight towards the Lochan screen. At the Lochan, there were a few more Moorhens, the Mute Swan pair and a small group of Teal. 

A look down over the bay was next on the agenda. A couple of Black Headed Gulls and Common Gulls were quickly noted while a Wren scolded loudly from the hedge behind me. Shelduck, Redshank, Cormorant and Lesser Black Backed Gull were all picked out in the bay. Goldfinch, Yellowhammer and Long Tailed Tit were in among the bushes between the path and the bay. Stock Dove and Starlings flew over before I headed round to the hide, where I found Keith. Grey Heron, Dunlin and Curlew were spotted before we headed back round towards the raised embankment after around 45 minutes of scanning repeatedly from the hide. As we did so, we heard the distinctive call of a Common Sandpiper, not once but twice. It was another new and welcome species for my Dundee150 list, my second of the morning.

Keith headed off homewards and I spent the next hour trying to add a few more species to the morning's list around the park. I managed to get both Bar Tailed and Black Tailed Godwits down in the bay as well as Pied Wagtail, Greenfinch, Linnet, Siskin, Sand Martin and Bullfinch taking my total at the park to 47 species. With more and more dog walkers beginning to arrive - and very few paying any attention to the signs, I decided it was time to move on elsewhere. Rather than head for home I decided to check out the feeders at Ninewells Community Garden. A Buzzard was noted high above the wood behind the hospital before I reached the garden, being harassed by gulls.

The feeders were relatively busy with Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Robin, Dunnock, Wren and Nuthatch coming and going. A Grey Squirrel, as well as a few Blackbirds and Woodpigeons were also noted as were Rooks, Jackdaws and Magpies. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard but not seen. Having spent around an hour watching the feeders I decided to head for Balgay Hill. Oystercatcher was noted as I left the hopsital grounds. I failed to add anything new at Balgay but continued on for a look at the Law. I did manage to add a Peacock butterfly there but birds were in short supply. A Pied Wagtail was the final addition before I made it home. The list outwith the park reached a fairly decent 37 species, for a combined total of 56 species, of which 2 (in bold) were new for my Dundee150 list taking me to 116, 12 ahead of the previous year at the same point in time.   

Shelduck

Wren

Common Gull

Redshank & Black Headed Gull

Dunlin & Redshank

Black Tailed Godwit & gull sp.

Meadow Pipit

Sand Martin

Rabbit

Buzzard & Herring Gull

Dunnock

Coal Tit

Coal Tit

Greenfinch

Robin

Chaffinch

House Fly?

Chaffinch

Goldfinch

Carrion Crow

Long Tailed Tit

Nuthatch

Nuthatch

Grey Squirrel

Peacock

Magpie

Birds (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Meadow Pipit, Nuthatch, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Raven, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Siskin, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren. 

Butterflies (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Peacock.

Mammals (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Grey Squirrel.

Birds (at Riverside Nature Park) - Bar Tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Sand Martin, Shelduck, Siskin, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Teal, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.

Mammals (at Riverside Nature Park) - Rabbit.