 |
| Nuthatch |
With a slightly disappointing haul of 'only' 53 species found on the 1st of January, I wanted to get out again on the 2nd and try to add a few more. I've set myself a target of finding 84 species before I go back to work on Monday the 8th which won't be particularly easy to achieve, but I will be giving it a good go. Trying to work out routes to maximise chances on any particular day, without walking too far can be quite tricky, and it also gets harder as more species are added. With rain forecast until around 1000 on Tuesday morning but dry afterwards I decided that Balgay Hill would provide my main focus for the day with 4 species possible there - Sparrowhawk, Treecreeper, Nuthatch and Jay. I would also try for Peregrine on Cox's Stack while on the way to Balgay and there would also be potential to continue on to Riverside Nature Park later, if things went to plan.
Once again, Herring Gull was the first bird on the list for the day, with Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Feral Pigeon and Starling almost immediately afterwards. A pair of Pied Wagtails were on the pavement opposite Tannadice Park and a Common Gull took off from atop a nearby lamp post. A Blue Tit called from one of the trees between the stadiums and a pair of Jackdaws were in their normal spot on one of the tenement chimneys on Sandeman Street. Robin and Magpie were both added as I headed down Provost Road. A flock of Long Tailed Tits were in a tree halfway up Canning Street. I decided to head up past the Law and added House Sparrows on the walk up to Hill Street.
I then found a small flock of Goldfinches in the top branches of a tree though things were relatively quiet with only Woodpigeon and Chaffinch spotted on the walk up to the hill itself. A calling Wren and a Grey Squirrel were noted as I headed down the steps to the allotments from where I checked Cox's Stack for any sign of a bird perched on the ledge. Unfortunately for me, there was no sign of either Peregrine or the escaped Saker Falcon. Dunnock and Bullfinch were next onto the list as I headed down towards Lochee Road. A few minutes further on, I wandered up the rather muddy track from the top end of Saggar Street to Balgay Hill. A Sparrowhawk glided in beyond the stand of trees I was walking through, with the local tits alarm calling loudly and a flock of Feral Pigeons circling round above.
There were a few Redwings in the trees and a Song Thrush flushed a short distance from the side of the track into a bramble bush. A Blackbird with a white head was seen near the steps at the top end of the track, likely a relative of an individual I've photographed near Mills Observatory a few times in recent years. Thankfully, it didn't take too long to find a Treecreeper, though it proved rather elusive when I was trying to photograph it. I found another a little later as well as a Nuthatch which allowed me to grab a few photos. In the same area were Great Tit, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Goldcrest and a Great Spotted Woodpecker which landed in a nearby tree though it was tricky to see well as the sun was directly behind it. A single Pink Footed Goose overflew in the direction of the river.
Unfortunately, despite a bit of hunting around, I failed to find my 4th target species at the hill - Jay being the one which let me down. However, as Ninewells Arboretum can be good for them, I headed there next. As I wandered round the path towards the community garden a Jay flew up from the ground and perched in one of the smaller trees in the garden. I then found a second Jay by the car park at WL Gore shortly before I reached the western end of Riverside Nature Park. The tide was well out and the strong winter sun reflecting off the water and the wet mud made trying to ID the mostly rather distant birds a bit of a challenge. Blackbird, Robin and Long Tailed Tit were quickly noted nearby and a trio of Black Headed Gulls passed overhead as did a flock of Feral Pigeons. Down in the bay, Herring Gull and Redshank were 2 species which could be seen and identified without too much trouble.
The paths in the park were rather muddy with large puddles dotted around and some of the areas which were already quite well flooded on Hogmanay were now largely underwater. Jackdaws, Carrion Crows, Chaffinch, Siskin, Great Tit, Wren and Dunnock were all spotted from the general area around the hide. Goldfinches were added as I wandered along to check the main part of the park. I decided to head round the upper half in a clockwise direction starting at the Lochan. There were a pair of Mute Swans close in by the screen. Across the far side were a few Teal and a female Mallard. Just as I was about to continue on my way, a Moorhen wandered across the grass by the northeastern edges.
Magpies, Blue Tits and Bullfinches were all found in the bushes as I searched with the thermal imager for Woodcock. A couple of birders visiting from Crieff caught up with me and we had a blether for a while. As we did so, a female Sparrowhawk swept through and disappeared into the trees between the two halves of the park. Redwings were then seen in flight and a Song Thrush was in the bushes nearby. I continued round to check the bay as the conditions were beginning to get increasingly misty, which was far from ideal. There were a few hundred Dunlin feeding though far fewer Oystercatchers than there had been on Hogmanay. Something unseen upset the Dunlin and they wheeled around for a few minutes above the bay before finally settling back down by the pipe.
A single Greenfinch flew over before I found my first Curlew of the year near the gull bathing pool in the burn outflow. There was no obvious sign of any geese across the far side of the bay which was disappointing. A Grey Heron flew out into the bay, being pursued by a Herring Gull before I headed up over the hill. I knew there were some rather muddy areas around and decided to try these for Snipe and Jack Snipe having had the latter once before in winter in that area. I was in luck as 3 'heat blobs' turned out to be a trio of Snipe which flushed noisily and flew off in the direction of the bay. A Pied Wagtail was heard from the direction of the Lochan and I found someone's lost but apparently undamaged drone, but left it where it was, as I wouldn't be passing any police stations on the walk home.
I was still hoping I might find a Woodcock and as I checked every heat source I could find around Buzzard Wood as the mist got thicker, I looked up to see one flying above me at treetop height. The misty conditions were getting worse and my legs were feeling rather heavy so I decided to head homewards. I heard a skein of Pink Footed Geese as I neared the exit and a Coal Tit called from the trees by the road taking my total at the park to 35 species. The walk home failed to add anything else due to the visibility being mostly awful as a combination of the time of day and the mist made for the birds I did see being dull grey silhouettes, at best. I ended the day having found a combined total of 44 species (30 outwith the park, and 35 from within) of which 9 (in bold) were new for the #Dundee150 list. Considering the conditions, it ended up being a reasonable day's birding.
 |
| Nuthatch |
 |
| Nuthatch |
 |
Coal Tit
|
 |
| Treecreeper |
 |
| Treecreeper |
 |
Great Spotted Woodpecker
|
 |
| Nuthatch |
 |
| Jay |
 |
Mute Swan
|
 |
| Mallard |
 |
| Teal |
 |
| Moorhen |
 |
| Dunlin |
 |
| Dunlin |
 |
| Greenfinch |
 |
| Curlew |
 |
Redshank & Grey Heron
|
 |
Redshank, Grey Heron & Herring Gull
|
Birds (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Blackbird, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Nuthatch, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Treecreeper, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Mammals (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Grey Squirrel.
Birds (at Riverside Nature Park) - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Redshank, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Siskin, Snipe, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Teal, Woodcock, Wren.
Mammals (at Riverside Nature Park) - Rabbit.
