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Grasshopper Warbler
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I'm not overly keen on visiting Balmossie and Broughty Ferry at the weekend as there are too many people (and their dogs) around to make it anything like an enjoyable experience. However, I couldn't get motivated to try Riverside Nature Park on Sunday the 5th of May either. I hadn't slept particularly well and had decided to get up rather than keep trying to fall asleep again and again, so I was ready to get out somewhere by 0605. I decided to head inland for a look at the road to the north of Fintry and the pool in the field by Middleton Wood in the hope of a Yellow Wagtail or maybe a Wood Sandpiper. From there I would head down to the Dighty Burn then continue down to Broughty Ferry to see if there might be anything in with the now decreasing amount of still lingering waders, but only if I could muster the energy and motivation to get there (and back home again).
The morning's birding began to the sound of a singing Blackbird, followed swiftly after by House Sparrow, Blue Tit, Feral Pigeon, Dunnock, Woodpigeon, Starling, and Herring Gull. Further on, Carrion Crow, Robin, Collared Dove, Magpie and Song Thrush were all noted as I walked up towards Clepington Road. Mains Loan added Goldfinch, Jackdaw, House Martin and Oystercatcher. Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Wren were all heard singing from the bushes and trees at Mains Terrace. Once across the Kingsway into Caird Park, Long Tailed Tit, Goldcrest, Grey Squirrel, Rabbit, Siskin, a pair of Mallard and Coal Tit were all found.
Cutting up through Mill O' Mains got a pair of Great Tits onto the morning's list. The walk up Forfar Road provided both Common Gull and Black Headed Gull overhead. The walk along Jack Martin Way proved to be relatively productive with Chaffinch, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Yellowhammer, Linnet, Pheasant, Sedge Warbler, Skylark, Reed Bunting and Pied Wagtail all either seen, or in a few cases, heard. The pond at the start of Berwick Drive turned up Moorhen and Mute Swan. Roe Deer were spotted from Middleton Wood. The pool in the field next to the wood once again had a Shelduck providing a bit of interest. Grasshopper Warbler was heard reeling as a Curlew headed over northwards calling repeatedly.
Swallow and Stock Dove were noted as I went exploring the area beyond the high school. As I headed down a dirt track bordered on both sides by bushes a male Bullfinch was perched ahead of me at head height and I was able to get a few photos before a runner sent the bird off into the undergrowth. A Greenfinch was perched on a roof among the houses as I wandered down in the direction of the Dighty Burn. At the burn I had decent views of a male Sparrowhawk in an area where I suspect there might be a nest somewhere nearby. A Song Thrush posed nicely for a few photos. A Long Tailed Tit was flitting along the fenceline behind the Harry Lawson depot collecting nexting material. The first Dipper of the day was almost overlooked but a quick double-take made me realise it was actually a bird I'd glimpsed out of the corner of my eye.
The walk down to Broughty Ferry proved to be rather quiet though a pair of Osytercatchers and an immature Eider were at the Douglas Terrace outflow pipe. The river and the shoreline appeared to be very quiet between there and the castle. As it was a Sunday, the castle wasn't due to open until 1230, so I had to make do with the rocks behind the castle providing a slightly raised perspective over the river. A pair of Tufted Ducks out on the water were a bit of a surprise. After a fairly quiet spell of watching the birds heading past the castle I decided to wander along to Balmossie as the beach was already starting to get very busy. A pair of Linnets showed relatively well on the wooden fences at the dunes. A detour into the local nature reserve led to me spending a wee while photographing the few Longhorn Moths I could see, in the same place as last year.
Things were relatively quiet between the newly sited 'sculpture' and the mouth of the Dighty. I did succeed in adding a few more species though - Redshank, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Red Breasted Merganser, Wigeon, Goosander and Great Black Backed Gull. Unfortunately a Border Collie on the beach did spook some of the birds before I managed to check through them all. There were plenty of Mute Swans at the burn mouth as well as a number of Herring Gulls and Oystercatchers. As the incoming tide covered more and more of the beach, a pair of Dunlin flew past. Out over the river I spotted a few dark ducks in flight. They didn't seem to be Eiders (as they tend to be in pairs more often than not) but there was a bit too much heat shimmer to be completely confident of an ID. My suspicion was that they were Common Scoters.
A bit more scanning of the river found a large raft of these dark ducks. I messaged Mark Wilkinson who replied he'd had a flock of Common Scoters off Tayport earlier. As his reply arrived, the Pirate Boats RHIB headed out and put up the flock of several hundred very obvious Common Scoters. Perfect timing and my 127th species of the year. I spent more time scanning out over the river from various benches and other assorted 'seats' which added Cormorant, Sandwich Tern and Guillemot. As I walked back along towards the castle, a party of 8 Goosanders flew past close in to shore. I photographed a couple of Pied Wagtails among the rock armour. Another visit to the local nature reserve added a few Small Tortoiseshell butterflies and more Longhorn Moth photos.
Near the lifeboat station, I got a Rock Pipit among the driftwood, which was rather surprisingly the first of the day. A small flock of Turnstones were found down on the shore on my walk back to the Stannergate, including a bird well on its way to breeding plumage. There was some Rook traffic crossing the river in both directions as I neared the Stannergate, as often seems to be the case. There were a few Rabbits in their usual spots. A Buzzard was noted over Eastern Cemetery which seemed to be full of Rabbits but no people, except myself. A quick look at Swannie Ponds delivered the first Grey Heron of the day and a Coot, taking my list for the day to a pretty decent 68 species, including an unexpected but welcome Dundee150 tick (in bold).
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| Curlew |
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Grasshopper Warbler
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| Bullfinch |
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| Sparrowhawk |
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Song Thrush
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Willow Warbler
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| Linnet |
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Wasp sp.
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| Redshank |
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| Dunlin |
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Common Scoter
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Mallard & Eider
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Sandwich Tern
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Eider , Red Breasted Merganser & Wigeon
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Pied Wagtail
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Mute Swan
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Pied Wagtail
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Longhorn Moth
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Hoverfly sp.
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Rock Pipit
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Carrion Crow & Herring Gull
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| Eider |
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| Turnstone |
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| Turnstone |
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| Mallard |
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Grey Heron
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Birds - Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit,
Bullfinch, Buzzard,
Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Scoter, Coot,
Cormorant, Curlew, Dipper, Dunlin, Dunnock, Eider, Goldcrest, Goldfinch,
Goosander, Grasshopper Warbler, Great Black Backed Gull, Great
Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow,
Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet,
Long Tailed Tit,
Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan,
Oystercatcher,
Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Reed Bunting,
Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock
Pipit, Rook, Sandwich Tern, Sedge Warbler, Shelduck, Siskin, Skylark, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk,
Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Tufted Duck, Turnstone,
Whitethroat, Wigeon, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren,
Yellowhammer.
Butterflies - Small Tortoiseshell.
Mammals - Grey Squirrel, Rabbit, Roe Deer.
