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| Shoveler |
With relatively ok weather forecast for Wednesday the 7th of February I decided I would head for Broughty Ferry and Balmossie again. The main reason for choosing to head east was that there is less disturbance on a weekday than there is at the weekends. Weekend visits can be very frustrating and at times rather soul-destroying with dogs everywhere, some even chasing the birds while the owner wanders on oblivious. My expectation levels were rather low with nothing new for my Dundee150 list looking overly likely but I was keen to get out regardless. There was perhaps a slim chance of a 'white winged' gull or maybe a Great Northern Diver but there was a decent chance of not seeing anything at all out of the ordinary. This didn't deter me however and I headed out around sunrise for the walk out to Balmossie.
Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Blue Tit, Starling, Carrion Crow, Robin, Woodpigeon, Pink Footed Goose and Feral Pigeon made for a rather hectic first minute outside. Black Headed Gull and House Sparrow were noted as I headed up Court Street but from there until I reached Swannie Ponds there were no further additions. Coot, Moorhen, Mallard, Goosander, the Shoveler pair, Tufted Duck, Mute Swan, Black Headed Gull and Herring Gull were all noted at the ponds. Eastern Cemetery then provided a decent mix of species with Chaffinch, Bullfinch, Great Tit, Oystercatcher, Magpie, Goldfinch, Long Tailed Tit, Blackbird, Goldcrest and Greenfinch. A Kestrel peeking out from a small 'window' in a conifer was a nice bonus bird, especially as it didn't fly off when it spotted me. Grey Squirrel and Rabbits were also not unexpectedly seen within the cemetery.
A Coal Tit was heard calling as I wandered down towards the Stannergate. When I got there a Grey Heron flew in and landed at the end of the docks. Down on the shore a Curlew picked around among the seaweed and pebbles. Further on I found Redshank and Turnstone by the water's edge. Offshore a few Eiders were visible and a Cormorant was seen fishing relatively close in. I was pleased to find the Stonechat still around among the small string of bushes near the Sea Eagle feather sculpture despite the paucity of cover available. I headed on again adding a Common Gull flying along close to the railings, while to the north a trio of Stock Doves were seen flying out from a conifer together in the direction of Douglas Terrace. I eventually added Red Breasted Merganser to the day's list as I neared the lifeboat station.
Finding the toilets at Castle Green out of commision due to them being behind the fences of a 'work area' wasn't what I wanted on what was a bit of a chilly morning. Thankfully, the castle had just opened for the day. A Rock Pipit was heard and a Siskin flew past as I scanned out over the river from the former gun emplacement within the castle walls. With nothing obvious out on the river except Red Breasted Mergansers and Eiders I decided to continue on eastwards. A Pied Wagtail was found on the grass just to the east of the castle. The dunes proved to be either empty of birds, or any birds there were keeping a very low profile, with nothing seen or heard.
I detoured into the local nature reserve for a look which got Song Thrush and Redwing onto the list. However, it was as quiet as I've seen it for a while. As a result I didn't linger. My non-birding pal messaged me to see if I was out and about. I told her I was. She was at the Stannergate. I said I would meet her at Balmossie at the end of her walk and wander back along the river with her. That would give me plenty of time to check the birds at the Dighty mouth while she got a bit of exercise in. However, she decided she would drive along and join me instead of walking. She arrived soon after and we continued along to Balmossie together. Unfortunately things were very quiet there though I did manage to add Wigeon and Great Black Backed Gull as well as a Wren.
With her car parked relatively close and plenty of remaining time I suggested that I could show her a few more places that might provide a change of scenery in future for a walk, as well as allowing me to add a few more species for the day while we had a wander. As she was receptive to the idea we set off for Clatto at the diagonally opposite end of the city. We got there just after noon. Out on the reservoir I was rather pleased to see my first Lesser Black Backed Gull for 2024 - my 99th species of the year. Among the other birds were my first Goldeneye of the day. We had a walk out past the farm, then headed up through the trees to the same area by the bench I have visited a few times recently. We had a brief chat to the Countryside Ranger I'd spoken to previously before noting an overflying Raven. Overall things were very quiet bird-wise though.
We headed next to Riverside Nature Park for another wander round spotting a Yellowhammer near the car park before we left. When we reached Riverside Nature Park, Magpie and Carrion Crow were around at the car park. Blackbird, Herring Gull, Stock Dove and Blue Tit were added as we headed round to have a look at the bay. The strong afternoon sun was in the 'wrong' place meaning the birds were mostly silhouetted against the wet mud. Dunlin, Teal, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Mallard, Grey Heron and Black Headed Gull were all picked out regardless while a Great Tit appeared in the bushes in front of us. Mute Swan and Moorhen were seen at the Lochan and on the walk back to the car park via the bottom half of the park we managed to see Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Goldfinch and Robin taking the total at the park to a very poor 20 species. Outwith the park I managed a total of 53 species for a combined total of 55 species, of which 1 (in bold) was new for the year and my Dundee150 list. Big thanks to my pal for providing the opportunity to visit 3 corners of the city in one day.
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| Shoveler |
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Herring Gull
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| Shoveler |
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| Shoveler |
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| Shoveler |
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| Kestrel |
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| Goldcrest |
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| Goldcrest |
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| Curlew |
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Herring Gull
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| Stonechat |
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| Stonechat |
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| Stonechat |
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| Redshank |
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Mute Swan
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Common Gull & Lesser Black Backed Gull
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Oystercatcher & Redshank
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Herring Gull
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Herring Gull
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Birds (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Eider, Goldcrest, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Kestrel, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Raven, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Shoveler, Siskin, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Stonechat, Tufted Duck, Turnstone, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
Mammals (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Grey Squirrel, Rabbit.
Birds (at Riverside Nature Park) - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Dunlin, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Teal, Woodpigeon.
