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Grey Partridge
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A long time ago, back when I was a kid, Grey Partridges were relatively easy to see in Dundee. Caird Park golf course had proper 'rough' along the edges of the fairways and while helping my dad look for yet another wayward shot, we would often spook a covey of Grey Partridges (or sometimes a Skylark). It's a different story these days, with dogs roaming practically everywhere - including on the same golf courses, and what appears to be a different sort of 'rough' now in fashion (that is more 'bum-fluff' than rough), so there are no Grey Partridges, or Skylarks on the golf course at Caird Park anymore. To get Grey Partridge on my Dundee list these days I have to go right to the northern edges of the city. Having tried and failed once already this year (though I did have a very brief view of a small group of 4 decidedly probables), I decided to try again on Saturday morning with an early start.
The early start didn't happen though. The alarm went off before 0600 and I tried to keep my eyes open but I was too tired and fell back to sleep. When I did get up, I still didn't really feel like going out. However, as I didn't want to stay inside all day I decided I really should get out and try for the Grey Partridge. It was just after 1130 when I finally stepped outside, far later than intended. I wasn't optimistic, which also didn't help my motivation. Blue Tit, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Herring Gull, Carrion Crow, Robin, Blackbird, Magpie and Jackdaw gave me a steady-ish flow of birds as I wandered up to Clepington Road. Rather than head for Swannie Ponds, I decided to continue on down through Caird Park and out to Powrie Brae.
Long Tailed Tits were in the trees on Mains Loan opposite the SuDS pond. Once across the Kingsway (with some difficulty with the lights at the crossing being out of order) I noted a Wren in the roadside hedge opposite the RPC gate. A small flock of Oystercatchers flew overhead - likely disturbed from the grass by the athletics track, and a Mistle Thrush was found singing from the top of a conifer by the edge of the practice strip on the golf course. I detoured round the ponds, looking for Kingfisher but only finding Mallard and Moorhen. There was a flock of Redwing in by the 'dump' area and as I headed down towards the Gelly Burn and the road I flushed an unexpected Woodcock which flew off through the trees, away from me.
A Dipper whizzed past me, heading up the Dighty Burn, once I'd crossed the road. When I reached the 'back of Fintry' a Black Headed Gull was seen on the grass. I wandered up Powrie Brae with another walker close behind me. A couple of Linnets, a singing Skylark and a small group of Fieldfares were noted before I reached the castle. Having stopped to photograph the Fieldfares the other walker had passed me - which meant if the Partridges were where I thought they might be, they would likely fly off when they spotted him (as they've done in the past, when I've wandered along that stretch of road). If this happened it would most likely mean that I would be out of luck, as I don't think the numbers of birds present in the general area is likely to be very high.
I added Starling, Collared Dove, House Sparrow and Goldfinch as I passed the first farm and spotted a Kestrel flying low over a field to the north once I passed the house on the north side of the road. The other walker did indeed pass the place I thought I might find the Partridges still ahead of me and there were no birds to be seen as I followed - though I had no way of knowing if they'd been there or not. Further on by the next farm buildings a pair of Yellowhammers landed in the top of a tall tree and a Chaffinch flew into another conifer opposite. The next stretch of the road was a downhill section with a bit of an almost blind bend leading down to another farm, the buildings of which are actually 'outside' Dundee, even though the fields I was passing were 'in'.
I could just see the roof of a car coming up the hill towards me, so I stepped up onto the grass verge to let it pass me safely. I could see a flock of corvids further down the field which I expected would fly off as I got closer. The car passed me a few seconds later and as it did so, I heard the sound of whirring wings and turned to see 2 birds flying off low across the field. They appeared to be Partridges so I grabbed a few photos, most of which were out of focus, but on the one or two that were in focus showed that the pair were indeed my target for the day - Grey Partridges. The corvid flock contained a number of Rooks and a skein of Pink Footed Geese headed over northwards.
Further on down towards the farm another car was approaching so I stepped up onto the verge, and flushed the same pair of Partridges again, which flew to the same rough ground behind the farm buidlings where I saw the 4 birds in January - suggesting that those were indeed Grey Partridges as I'd suspected but couldn't confirm from the split second views I'd had. I picked out a pair of male Pheasants wandering across the field further up the hill. My initial plan had been to head down to Middleton Woods then cut across from there to the Balumbie Golf Course, then down to the Dighty from there, then out to Clearwater Park. I decided instead to head homewards instead via Swannie Ponds.
Goldcrest, Great Tit and Greenfinch were noted at Middleton Woods but the small pond by the junction only held a few Mallards and a Moorhen. I reached the Swannie Ponds around 1350 and added a few more species for the day - Mute Swan, Grey Heron, Tufted Duck, Coot, Goosander and Common Gull. There was no sign of the Shoveler pair and I was disappointed to see that the fallen tree at the end of the island had been removed from the water, leaving just part of the trunk on the island. It transpired that the council had been told via twitter that the tree needed to be removed as the Heron was perched on it - "ready to take the (swans) eggs once they appear in the nest"(!) Removing the tree doesn't mean the Heron has nowhere to stand, and probably gives a bit more room for manouevre in the unlikely event that it does actually fancy its chances of taking on a pair of Mute Swans, each of which weighs at least 4 times its weight and has a longer reach of both wing and neck.
A couple of Moorhens were seen fighting when a Coot intervened and tried to drown one of the smaller birds. It managed to resurface but it did end up a few feathers lighter, though still alive, and no doubt rather relieved that the Coot didn't continue to press home the weight advantage. I headed homewards around 1435 adding two final species on the way - Dunnock and Pied Wagtail, taking my total for the day to 44 species (including 1 new, in bold) - a surprisingly high total given where I'd been. With the tree having been removed from the Swannies I guess the likelihood of a Mandarin Duck showing up there has dropped to practically nil. Natural pools, surrounded by trees are definitely in short supply in the city - though the Caird Park ponds might end up being where a Mandarin Duck eventually shows up (though one has apparently appeared at the Swannies before, a few years ago, seen by a council worker who only mentioned it to a birder, after the event). We live in hope.... as we just never quite know what might turn up in the city next.
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Grey Heron
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| Moorhen |
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| Fieldfare |
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Collared Dove
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| Kestrel |
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| Yellowhammer |
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Grey Partridge
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Grey Partridge
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Pink Footed Goose
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| Pheasant |
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| Rook |
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| Moorhen |
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| Moorhen |
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Coot & Moorhen
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Coot & Moorhen
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Coot & Moorhen
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Common Gull
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| Woodpigeon |
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Herring Gull
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| Coot |
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Goosander
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| Goosander |
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Grey Heron
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Birds - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Coot, Dipper, Dunnock, Fieldfare, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Partridge, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Linnet, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Skylark, Starling, Tufted Duck, Woodcock, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
