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| Siskin |
The weather forecast for the weekend was not looking promising with rain to varying extents predicted for both days. Saturday was slightly the better bet though Sunday was looking like being a complete write-off die to heavy rain coming through. With the Great Crested Grebes back at Clatto Reservoir I had what was likely to be a very easy Dundee150 tick available to go for. Looking at the up to date forecast on my PC after I got out of bed, I could see that there was a definite possibility of showers passing through. However, they didn't look too heavy so I decided I would head for Clatto after all. I weighed up going via Caird Park and Trottick Ponds, or via Ardler Pond but eventually settled on my preferred route, heading up through Downfield and in along the dirt track past the 'new' houses to the back gate. Although I wasn't expecting to add anything other than the Great Crested Grebes there was a possibility of some geese, or maybe a flock of finches in the fields along the track.
It was 0930 when I stepped outside. It was cold, grey and a bit windy, but it wasn't raining....yet. Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Starling and House Sparrow got the day's list up and running. Heading up past Tannadice added Magpie, Woodpigeon and Blue Tit. I found a Chaffinch on the edge of Fairmuir Park and a few Black Headed Gulls on the football pitches there. I could hear a Pied Wagtail and eventually found 4 feeding together next to a small group of Woodpigeons. A Greenfinch was in the trees at the end of Muirfield Road. A small flock of Feral Pigeons flew over as I headed down towards the Kingsway. As I made my way down the steps on the north side of the dual carriageway a Goldfinch dropped into the trees in a back garden behind the houses. Continuing on up Strathmartine Road, I stumbled upon a small group of Long Tailed Tits in another garden. Further on, a Dunnock was heard singing and a Wren was in the scrub by the roundabout on the northern edge of the city just off St Martin Avenue. I could hear Oystercatchers from the fields to the north but couldn't see where they were - though I suspect they were in a building site a little to the northeast, a few fields away.
The gorse which had bordered the track and which had been ideal for Yellowhammer and Linnet had all been rather crudely flailed back and the vegetation below had been mowed to almost nil. I can't see any particularly obvious reason for removing the gorse but there won't be any nesting Linnets, Yellowhammers, Wrens, Dunnocks, Long Tailed Tits etc using it this year. The one very slight plus is that it has been removed before any nests will have been completed. A more worrying aspect is that the fenceline by the edge of the track behind the wooded section has also been started on. Now that we are into the 'official' breeding season, any further removal is likely to impact on actual nesting birds other than 'might've beens' and would be illegal if any active nests were 'in situ'. A single Yellowhammer which briefly landed on the wires above where the gorse had been was the only bird seen on a stretch of just under half a mile. Depressing and increasingly common across the city - habitat destruction for no obvious reason, and seemingly of no benefit to anyone either.
Thankfully, I did manage to find some birds between the end of the track and the back gate to the reservoir - Great Tit, Bullfinch, Siskin and Robin as well as a few others already noted elsewhere. It was 1045 by the time I wandered up the slope to look over the reservoir. There were plenty of gulls around but there weren't too many other birds about in any sorts of decent numbers. Black Headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gulls and an adult and a young Great Black Backed Gull - the adult (yellow 077:M) was ringed on the Isle of May and had been reported a few years ago not too far from Dublin in Eire. Mallard, Goldeneye, Goosander, Tufted Duck, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Cormorant and thankfully, 2 Great Crested Grebes were all picked out.
I had a wander round the reservoir noting an overflying Lesser Redpoll as well as 3 Grey Wagtails and at least 2 Pied Wagtails feeding down by the water near the northwestern corner. There was some bickering between the 2 species which I almost managed to get a nice action shot of (but it wasn't quite in focus). A Goldcrest was heard from within the conifers and I managed to grab a few photos of a couple of overflying Crossbills having just heard their rather faint calls in time to look for the birds. I headed out along the farm track and up through the wood to check out the area around the sundial. I found a few more Crossbills, Bullfinches, Chaffinches and Siskins in the general area. A Jay was sounding a bit agitated from within the trees across the other side of the open area. A Buzzard circled overhead before continuing on out of sight to the north. A Great Spotted Woodpecker overflew as I headed back towards the reservoir and a Coal Tit was in the trees near the playpark.
Back at the reservoir, I spent a bit of time trying, and eventually managing, to get reasonably close photos of one of the Grebes. I did a spot of exploring as I was leaving the reservoir area and found the bushes full of birds including a couple of very confiding Bullfinches, as well as Blackbird and Song Thrush (both new for the day). There was a flock of Siskins noted visiting feeders in a back garden as I headed down towards Ardler Pond. A Sparrowhawk flew across the road and into the conifers near the end of the houses on the western side of the road. I found a couple of Reed Buntings at Ardler Pond but it was otherwise relatively disappointing, as was the walk home, with nothing new added on the way. I ended the day's birding with a total of 46 species including the most important, the year-tick and Dundee150 tick (in bold). I somehow managed to take quite a lot of photos and got some fairly good ones, despite the conditions. It also didn't rain at all, which was another big plus. Sometimes taking the easy option is the best option.
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| Greenfinch |
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| Robin |
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| Cormorant |
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| Goldeneye |
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Common Gull
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| Crossbill |
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Grey Wagtail
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Grey Wagtail
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Pied Wagtail
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| Buzzard |
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| Crossbill |
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| Dunnock |
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Great Black Backed Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull & Carrion Crow
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Great Black Backed Gull
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Great Crested Grebe
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Great Crested Grebe
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Great Crested Grebe
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Great Crested Grebe
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Great Crested Grebe
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Great Crested Grebe
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Carrion Crow
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| Bullfinch |
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| Bullfinch |
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| Bullfinch |
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| Bullfinch |
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| Bullfinch |
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| Siskin |
Birds - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Cormorant, Crossbill, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Crested Grebe, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Lesser Redpoll, Long Tailed Tit, magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Siskin, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Tufted Duck, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
