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| Swallow |
Having succeeded in adding Whitethroat to my Dundee150 list the previous day, I decided to try for Sedge Warbler on Sunday morning. Rain was forecast for early afternoon, so I didn't want to go too far. I weighed up the options - Clatto and Trottick Ponds have both produced Sedge Warblers in previous years though views have been limited at Clatto and there usually only seemed to be a single bird at Trottick Ponds. As a result I decided that I would try the Dighty Burn between Douglas and Whitfield and then head out via West Pitkerro Industrial Estate to Pitkerro Grove Cemetery. With a bit of luck this would potentially give me multiple opportunities to find Sedge Warbler, if the birds were back on their same territories from 2023.
I headed out at 0830 to the sound of the local Herring Gulls. Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Woodpigeon and Feral Pigeon were all readily apparent as soon as I stepped out the front door. House Sparrow, Magpie and Great Tit were added on Court Street while Jackdaw, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Greenfinch and Willow Warbler were all noted on Clepington Road as I wandered along to have a quick look at Swannie Ponds. At the ponds it didn't take much effort to see Mallard, Tufted Duck, Goosander, Mute Swan, Coot, Grey Heron, Lesser Black Backed Gull and a Pied Wagtail. The 'crossbill' Oystercatcher was feeding along the edge of the lower pond, once again.
I headed down the Kingsway rather than taking the Pitkerro Road route. A Grey Wagtail flew over opposite the 'Waxwing trees'. Further on, I found a Blackcap singing opposite the Odeon Cinema. Things seemed relatively quiet along the burn, which didn't seem to bode too well for me succeeding in adding Sedge Warbler to my Dundee150 list. Song Thrush, Wren, Dunnock and a Great Spotted Woodpecker were all found on the first stretch by the burn, just south of the new school building site. I had a short chat to a dog walker who happened to be the Dad of the ecologist, Wayne, I spoke to at Broughty Ferry a few months ago.
Further on along the burn, I was surprised to find a recently fledged Dipper along with a single (ringed) adult, behind the police station. I spent quite some time photographing (and videoing) the birds. A male Sparrowhawk was chased into the trees behind me by a couple of Carrion Crows. Moving on again, I spotted a Jay, and a pair of the local Roe Deer by the banking where I often check for butterflies on those rare ocassions when the sun is shining. A short distance on from there I stopped to attempt to photograph a few Swallows which were hawking for insects. The light was rather poor, under the monotone grey sky, and the results weren't particularly great. When I reached the end of the path at Baldovie Road, I decided there didn't seem much point in continuing on to Pitkerro Grove Cemetery in search of Sedge Warbler.
I decided just to double back on myself instead but not before walking along to the end of the Murroes Burn. A Pheasant was heard and a Stock Dove pair were seen in the field opposite, looking towards Clearwater Park. There were a few Rabbits and Rooks in the same field. The walk back homewards added a pair of Collared Dove, what was surprisingly the first Robin of the morning and a Buzzard which attempted a spot of soaring to the west of the recycling plant. Further on, a Siskin was heard from somewhere overhead. I refound the Dipper youngster but only grabbed a quick few photos before moving on again.
At Swannie Ponds, I found a number of Swallows and House Martins feeding just to the west of the ponds, with the odd foray over the water and ended up spending a bit of time trying to catch the birds in flight, to varying levels of success. In addition, one of the pairs of Coots indulged in a spot of mating on the island, a Pied Wagtail with large 'growths' on its feet and a single young drake Goosander were all photographed in addition to one of the increasingly unhurried resident Moorhens. As the sky looked set for rain I headed home from the ponds just before 1230. I finished the day's birding with a slightly disappointing 43 species, though the juvenile Dipper was a welcome surprise, and a reminder that despite the cold, windy and often wet weather of late, it is actually Spring.
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| Dipper |
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| Dipper |
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| Dipper |
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| Dipper |
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Roe Deer
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| Swallow |
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| Sparrowhawk |
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| Oystercatcher |
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Willow Warbler
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| Rook |
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Collared Dove
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| Goldfinch |
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| Swallow |
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| Buzzard |
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| Dipper |
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Grey Heron
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| Moorhen |
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House Martin
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| Coot |
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| Coot |
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House Martin
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Pied Wagtail
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Goosander & Herring Gull
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| Jackdaw |
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Lesser Black Backed Gull
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House Martin
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| Swallow |
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House Martin
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Birds - Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Collared Dove, Coot, Dipper, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Magpie, Mallard, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Siskin, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Tufted Duck, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Mammals - Rabbit, Roe Deer.
