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Great Spotted Woodpecker
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Rain has been an unwelcome feature of this winter's weather, with what feels like more frequent, and heavier, falls lasting longer than what we would usually get. Dundee usually has plenty of cold, crisp but dry days at this time of year. This winter these have definitely been few and far between. We've had some milder weather with temperatures much higher than usual for December. However you want to explain it away, it has been frustrating from a birding point of view. I had hoped that January would start with more settled weather and that I would be able to get out birding, while staying dry, for all of my week off work. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened and the 3rd was forecast to be mostly wet, and actually ended up being worse, with no real useable 'window' to get out birding. I decided to make up for it on Thursday the 4th, with an early start and a walk out to Balmossie.
I headed out around 30 minutes before sunrise to the soundtrack of a singing Robin. Overhead the Herring Gulls and Feral Pigeons circled round above my street. Blackbird and Carrion Crow were both added on Court Street and the Starling roost near the police station was noisily waking up as I passed. Magpie, Blue Tit, Great Tit and Goldcrest were added as I detoured into Baxter Park for a few minutes. Long Tailed Tits and House Sparrows were noted near the top exit. I had a check of the Swannie Ponds which was much as expected with Mallard, Goosander, Black Headed Gull, Mute Swan, Coot, Tufted Duck and Moorhen all being found there. There were also a few Herring Gulls and Feral Pigeons around, as always, and a Grey Heron was roosting on the fallen tree on the top pond. A Woodpigeon was heard from the trees on the island before I headed off in the direction of Eastern Cemetery.
A Wren was calling as I passed the allotments at the top end of the site, and 30 seconds later I spotted a raptor above those same allotments. It turned out to be my first year-tick of the day - a Kestrel. The walk down through the rest of the graveyard added Pied Wagtail, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Redwing and a Sparrowhawk, in addition to the expected Grey Squirrel and Rabbits. By now the sun had cleared the horizon but clouds kept it hidden and the light didn't really improve much. A pair of Curlews flew over as I passed the shops at Craigie Avenue and a Coal Tit was heard from the gardens on the opposite side of the road.
There were a few Oystercatchers on the shore at the Stannergate while offshore there were at least 120 Red Breasted Mergansers in a large group just off the 'corner' of the docks. I headed on along the path towards Broughty Ferry adding a Cormorant and the first Turnstones of the day. A distant Eider was spotted out in mid-river and a Common Gull was by the water's edge as I continued on. A Dunnock was calling from the gardens on the north side of the railway line. At Douglas Terrace a skein of Pink Footed Geese headed inland to the northeast. A Common Seal was seen off Beach Crescent and a Rock Pipit was heard nearby. I scanned from behind the castle but things looked rather quiet so I continued along the edge of the dunes.
I managed to get my feet caught up on a half buried branch by the edge of the dunes and thought I'd likely damaged my camera (but touch wood, it appears to be more or less OK), by landing rather heavily and with the camera hitting the sand first. A little further on, I almost had a repeat performance but thankfully stopped myself from falling a second time. A Rook flew over a little to the north. I spotted a small flock of Bar Tailed Godwits in flight, flushed off the beach by a dog walker. I found more on the beach as well as some gulls just past the bend in the beach, opposite the local nature reserve. A Great Black Backed Gull was seen on the beach and a Long Tailed Duck quite far offshore on its own, was a very lucky find, especially as it took flight a few seconds after I spotted it.
I found a small flock of Sanderling and a couple of Ringed Plover. Unfortunately, a woman was videoing her dog as it chased any birds nearby which meant there were no birds on the next patch of beach. Fortunately, neither she nor the dog seemed to want to move very far meaning that the Godwits and Dunlin on the beach in the small 'bay' where the Godwits, Knot and Grey Plover can often be found were left alone. I spotted Jon Cook scoping from the track by the end of the Esplanade and wandered up to see if he'd found anything good. It didn't take too long for us to start adding more birds when I spotted a Peregrine which had flushed all the waders the dog hadn't already moved on. Thankfully they settled again after about 30 seconds of panic.
Jon found a slightly unexpected Guillemot offshore and I heard a skein of Pink Footed Geese as they flew over us. We added Wigeon and Mallard offshore before wandering further along to check the birds among the seaweed and rocks and then on again to neaer the burn mouth. I got what were rather surprisingly my first Redshanks of the day, a pair of Rock Pipits were chasing each other around, a Pied Wagtail was feeding among the seaweed and Jon found a pair of Goldeneye just beyond the Wigeon, and a single Shag perched atop the pipe off Monifieth. I picked out a Knot with a flock of Bar Tailed Godwits which dropped in to join the others in the 'bay' so we wandered back along to see if there might be any Grey Plover in among the new arrivals. More Godwits, Dunlin and Knot dropped in but despite much scanning we failed to find any Grey Plover.
Jon had to head off for an early lunch so I spent some more time just checking and rechecking all the birds down on the shore and out on the river in the hope of further additions to the Dundee150 list. A few Grey Seals were seen lounging around on a sandbank which was beginning to become visible. Surprisingly and disappointingly, there was no sign of any Red Throated Divers. It began to rain and looked like it might be on for a while. It wasn't too heavy so I kept on birding. I had a quick check of the nature reserve which added Bullfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Siskin, plus Chaffinches, Robin and Redwings. I didn't try to negotiate the flood at the end, instead heading back out the way I'd come in. As I wandered on along the path, I decided to check back along the beach on the off-chance there might now be a Little Egret in one of the pools on the beach.
I drew a blank until I started to walk in the direction of the castle. Down in a pool very near to the rock armour was a Little Egret with a couple of Common Gulls in close attendance. It flew off as a pair of dog walkers on the beach got closer, but I was happy to get it on the list so early in the year - unlike last year when it took until the final third to get one at all. The rain got a bit heavier as I neared the castle, so I decided I would pack the camera away if I could find a sheltered spot to do so. I used the covered walkway at the lifeboat station and tucked the binoculars inside my coat. There were some Red Breasted Mergansers seen on the walk back to the Stannergate but not much else, other than Turnstones and Oystercatchers. As it looked like the rain might finally be abating, I decided I would continue on to City Quay in the hope of finding a Grey Wagtail.
A Buzzard and a Sparrowhawk (plus possibly also a second Sparrowhawk - though I can't rule out it being the same bird) were seen from the Docks Way cycle path along with Chaffinches, Goldfinches, Woodpigeon and a few Stock Doves. At City Quay there was no sign of the Otters yet again. I did find a single Oystercatcher, a trio of Red Breasted Mergansers and 2 Cormorants but it looked like I would fail to get the Grey Wagtail. Thankfully as I passed the Foxlake sheds opposite the Apex Hotel, I heard a Grey Wagtail flying across the quay - my 12th new addition of the day's birding. Another Sparrowhawk was seen as I crossed the main road after leaving the quay but nothing else was added on my walk home. I ended the day's birding with 61 species seen of which 12 were new for my Dundee150, taking me to 72. I only need another 12 to reach my first week target of 84 now and have 3 days to get them. I suspect it will be tricky....
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| Oystercatcher |
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Red Breasted Merganser
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| Turnstone |
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| Eider |
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Pink Footed Goose
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Long Tailed Duck
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Sanderling & Dunlin
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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Common Gull, Black Headed Gull, Wigeon, Bar Tailed Godwit, Knot & Dunlin
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Bar Tailed Godwit, Knot, Dunlin & Common Gull(?)
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Bar Tailed Godwit & Knot
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| Guillemot |
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| Redwing |
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| Redwing |
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Great Spotted Woodpecker
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Little Egret
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Little Egret
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Stock Dove & Buzzard
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| Cormorant |
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Herring Gull
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Grey Seal
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| Cormorant |
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| Sparrowhawk |
Birds - Bar Tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Eider, Goldcrest, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Kestrel, Knot, Little Egret, Long Tailed Duck, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Redwing, Ringed Plover, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook, Sanderling, Shag, Siskin, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Tufted Duck, Turnstone, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Mammals - Common Seal, Grey Seal, Grey Squirrel, Rabbit.
