 |
| Kittiwake |
Mark Wilkinson found a Glaucous Gull at Tayport on Friday, in the small burn that runs out across the sand near the Foodmek factory. Using a scope it is possible to pick out and ID some birds while stood in Broughty Ferry, especially from the raised viewpoint offered by the castle. As my 'rules' for my Dundee150 list allow me to count any bird which is identifiable as long as I am in Dundee, I figured I could take my 'good' Swarovski scope to Broughty Ferry and see if I could see the Glaucous Gull, as they aren't exactly inconspicuous. I would also check the gull roost at Balmossie in case the bird had relocated to there. The downside of taking the 'good scope' is that it is heavy and it means I have to leave my camera at home - which is usually the best way to stumble upon something good.
However, I was much later getting out of my bed than I had intended. I have a pal who enjoys a walk but who isn't a birder. She had said she was probably going to have a walk out to Broughty Ferry on Saturday and I'd said our paths were likely to cross at some point as I was intending on being there too. I messaged her after my late breakfast to see if she had indeed gone for a walk. She hadn't so I asked if she fancied walking between Balmossie and Broughty Castle (and back). I would be able to check the gulls at both ends of the walk and she would have some company and conversation on her walk. She liked the sound of my mutually beneficial plan and offered to pick me up. This meant I could take the 'good scope' and the camera, after all. I headed out to wait for her to pick me up at 1150. Jackdaw, Herring Gull, Redwing, House Sparrow, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon and Blue Tit were noted as I waited. A Grey Heron landing at the Stannergate and a Magpie were the only 'new' birds seen on the drive out to Balmossie.
I'd suggested scanning from Balmossie first then walking into the wind along to the castle, then scanning from there, sheltered by the castle wall before walking back with the wind at our backs, as it can be tiring walking into a strong wind and getting that out of the way early made more sense than leaving it till later. When we arrived, I set up the scope and started scanning through the gull roost but only managed to find Black Headed, Common, Herring and Great Black Backed Gull. In addition there were Eider and Red Breasted Merganser offshore, as well as a Goldeneye pair, a few Wigeon and a few Mallards. Wader-wise I managed to find Turnstone, Oystercatcher, Curlew, Dunlin, Bar Tailed Godwit, Redshank and eventually a Grey Plover. There were a few Starlings and Carrion Crows around as well and a distant Cormorant was seen. My pal decided to go for a walk to the caravan park at Monifieth while I scanned, which meant she got a bit of exercise and there was no hurry for me to finish checking through the birds, so I could join her.
When she arrived back I was in the middle of one last quick scan when we were joined by Graham Smith. While Graham and I were chatting, my pal said she'd have a walk in the other direction for a bit. While chatting to Graham I picked up a couple of gulls close in to the beach heading west and got Graham onto them. These turned out be a pair of Kittiwakes - a year-tick and a gull - just not the one I had been hoping for - though it counts just the same. As I had been intending on doing a few miles of walking I'd deliberately chosen not to wear too many layers. However, the wind was rather icy and having said cheerio to Graham I was glad when my pal arrived back. I suggested rather than walking along to the castle, that we might be as well driving along, so that was what we did. We added Great Tit to the list as we headed back across the railway bridge to the car.
From the eastern side of the castle, I managed to find a couple of Mute Swans close in to shore over by Tayport and a Red Throated Diver flew upriver. A Rock Pipit and a few Oystercatchers were noted before we headed up into the castle to scan from one of the former gun emplacements. Although I failed to find anything resembling a Glaucous Gull (and the Fife Grapevine Whatsapp group's silence seemed to suggest it had moved on) I did succeed in adding a recognisable Fife tick to my #Dundee150 list - with 3 Shelduck wandering around on the mud. Shelduck is a bird I will get in Invergowrie Bay at some point but it was good to get it on the list so early in the year. There were a few Grey Seals out on the river as well. We headed for home with a quick stop at the Stannergate which failed to provide anything new, at around 1420 having managed to see 33 species of which 2 (in bold) were new for my Dundee150 list. A big thank you to my pal for saving me a long walk to Balmossie and back (and by doing so, helping me to get 2 new species on the list). The camera stayed in the bag, so all photos are from 'the archives'.
 |
Red Throated Diver
|
 |
Grey Plover
|
 |
| Magpie |
 |
Red Breasted Merganser
|
 |
| Eider |
 |
| Cormorant |
 |
Rock Pipit
|
 |
Carrion Crow
|
 |
Black Headed Gull
|
 |
Great Black Backed Gull
|
 |
Grey Heron
|
 |
| Curlew |
 |
| Redshank |
 |
Grey Plover
|
 |
Bar Tailed Godwit
|
 |
| Wigeon |
 |
Herring Gull
|
 |
Red Breasted Merganser
|
 |
| Eider | |
Birds - Bar Tailed Godwit, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Common Gull, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Eider, Goldeneye, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Grey Plover, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kittiwake, Magpie, Mallard, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Red Throated Diver, Redwing, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Shelduck, Starling, Turnstone, Wigeon, Woodpigeon.
Mammals - Grey Seal.
