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| Wren |
For my birding on Sunday the 12th of May, I decided on an early start. I wanted to check the pool at the back of Whitfield, by Middleton Woods, for Wood Sandpiper or Yellow Wagtail. Neither were particularly likely, but if you don't check you'll never know. I did actually manage to get out of bed in time to head out around 0645. The weather was to be a bit too warm for me by late morning, so getting out early and being home before it got too warm made perfect sense to me. With a bit of luck I might also add something to my Dundee150 list....
The first bird on the morning's list was rather unsurprisingly a Herring Gull and along with Feral Pigeon, Carrion Crow, Blackbird and Dunnock got proceedings underway for the day's birding. Starling, House Sparrow, Woodpigeon, Oystercatcher and Collared Dove followed quickly. Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Song Thrush and Robin were added as I headed for the Kingsway on my way to Caird Park. Cutting down across the golf course, Wren, Magpie, Chiffchaff, Bullfinch and Goldcrest were all found among the trees. At the ponds, things were relatively quiet though I did find both Moorhen and Mallard there. Greenfinch, Jackdaw and Stock Dove were noted before I reached Mill O'Mains where a couple of Great Tits were near the bridge over the burn.
Continuing on up Forfar Road got the first Lesser Black Backed Gull for the day's list. House Martins were hawking for insects over the trees opposite as I crossed the end of Fintry Drive. As I wandered along Jack Martin Way, Willow Warbler, Linnet, Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, Skylark, Yellowhammer, Pheasant and Reed Bunting were all spotted. A Buzzard was seen to the north over the fields. The small pond just off Berwick Drive had a Mute Swan in attendance as well as a single Moorhen and a Mallard pair. I wandered up the hill to check the pool in the field by Middleton Wood where a few Swallows zipping low over the field were the main highlight, with no sign of either of the hoped for visitors.
A few Rooks were in the wider field along with a few Jackdaws. A Grey Heron was seen in flight over the houses to the south. I had rather distant views of a reeling Grasshopper Warbler before I wandered up the hill to walk along the back road to Powrie Brae. A single Roe Deer was in one of the fields to the north-east. A couple of Rabbits were around one of the farms further on. There were a few birds around including a couple of Skylarks which gave close views and a Goldfinch which posed nicely too. I decided to head through the 'newer' houses across the other side of Forfar Road to reach the Trottick Ponds nature reserve. A Pied Wagtail was in the fields by the horses behind Emmock Woods Drive. A couple of Common Gulls glided over and a few Collared Doves were noted among the houses while a decent number of House Martins could be seen overhead.
Wandering down into the nature reserve I could hear a mix of singing warblers of various species while a few Swifts were zooming around above the trees bordering the housing estate. I got talking to a dog walker about birds and we chatted for a while about those that can be seen in the area. A Sparrowhawk flew past as we chatted. We headed our separate ways after 15 minutes or so. A Sedge Warbler popped up as I headed along the back of the ponds. I bumped into a birder who I'd met recently elsewhere but whose name I couldn't quite remember. It turned out that I had actually remembered her first name correctly but her surname had eluded me. This time I asked, so that I could give her a proper mention in this post. She was Anne Reid, a prominent member of the Dundee Naturalists group. She was in the middle of doing her monthly WEBS count, so I had a wander round with her to see what we could find.
Long Tailed Tits were around along with numerous other smaller birds (finches, tits, warblers etc) in the trees and bushes. A surprise find was a singing Garden Warbler which flew off into a different tree just as I was about to try to get a record shot. A Grey Wagtail was the only other 'new' bird for the day found around the ponds. Small White and Orange Tip butterflies flitted around by the paths. We managed to find a group of tiny Mallard ducklings with their mum, and a couple of very young Moorhen chicks with one of their parents. I failed to find any Dippers on the Dighty. Anne headed off and I wandered along towards Caird Park. Another Garden Warbler was heard singing in the stand of trees part way along the Old Claverhouse Road, with a Goldcrest, a few Blue Tits, Chaffinch and Robin also being seen there.
Before I reached Caird Park both Jay and a calling Great Spotted Woodpecker were noted across the other side of the main road. Unfortunately Caird Park failed to provide any other new additions for the day. I swithered as to whether or not to visit Swannie Ponds but eventually decided I might as well have a look. I managed to get 3 new species for the day there - Coot, Tufted Duck and a rather late lingering young male Goosander. I headed homewards from there after a fairly short visit, before the temperature rose further, as it was already feeling a bit too warm for my liking. I finished the morning's birding with a rather surprising 55 species. Although I had failed to add anything new to my Dundee150 list, finding a couple of Garden Warblers away from Clatto was a nice, though slightly unexpected, bonus.
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| Linnet |
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Reed Bunting
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| Whitethroat |
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Sedge Warbler
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| Pheasant |
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Grasshopper Warbler
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| Blackcap |
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| Swallow |
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Roe Deer
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| Rook |
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| Chaffinch |
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| Skylark |
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| Skylark |
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| Skylark |
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| Goldfinch |
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Collared Dove
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| Sparrowhawk |
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| Swift |
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Common Gull
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| Mallard |
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| Woodpigeon |
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Tree Bumblebee
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| Buzzard |
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| Sparrowhawk |
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| Jackdaw |
Birds - Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Coot, Dunnock, Garden Warbler, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Goosander, Grasshopper Warbler, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sedge Warbler, Skylark, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Swift, Tufted Duck, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
Butterflies - Orange Tip, Small White.
Mammals - Rabbit, Roe Deer.
