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| Yellowhammer |
For the past few weeks my mood hasn't been the best and I've struggled to get motivated to get out birding. Even when I've made it out somewhere, my enthusiasm for doing so has been largely missing. I do go through these spells every now and then, so I know that it will pass sooner or later. I'd rather go through one of these spells in the 'quiet month' of June than in Sepetember/October, or April/May but I'd really rather not go through them at all. Birding and being 'out in nature' is supposed to be great for mental health and general wellbeing, and for some folk it can be, but at times elements of a day out birding/'in nature' can also make things worse. I didn't feel like going anywhere on Wednesday the 12th of June, but with a Cuckoo lingering from Thursday until at least Monday, at Riverside Nature Park, I at least had a reason to force myself to go out.
Despite the Cuckoo, I wasted hours procrastinating at home before I finally made it outside, just before 0955. Herring Gull, Feral Pigeon, House Sparrow, Magpie and a slightly unexpected Pied Wagtail were first onto the day's list. Further on between the football stadiums I found Lesser Black Backed Gull, Woodpigeon and Carrion Crow. Goldfinch and Blue Tit were noted near the bottom end of Canning Street. Starling and Swift were seen at Bruce Street. House Martins were seen to the south of the 'High Kirk'. A singing Blackbird could be heard as I wandered up past the allotments on both sides of the road. Chaffinch, Dunnock, Robin and Wren added a few more species before I made it to the top of the Law.
I spent a very quiet 90 minutes atop the hill. Birds were in very short supply with only a couple of sightings of Sparrowhawk breaking the monotony. The local Herring Gull pair (and friends), plus Magpies and Carrion Crows did provide slight interest at times, as did some aircraft traffic. Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blackcap and Song Thrush were all 'heard only'. There were a few sightings of the local House Martins and Swifts also, though none overly close. With no sign of things improving, I moved on again. I chose to check Balgay Hill for any signs of breeding Nuthatches next. An Oystercatcher flew over calling as I wandered up the dirt track up the eastern side of the hill.
Things were rather quiet below the trees at the hill. A Grey Squirrel caught my eye when it appeared at the bottom of a large tree. A Goldcrest was heard but there was no sign of any Nuthatches at all. In general it was probably as quiet as the top of the Law had been. I managed to get Jackdaw and a tame-ish Jay behind Ninewells Hospital and the neighbouring Carseview Centre before I reached the western end of Riverside Nature Park at 1250. With things having been very quiet up until this time, I wasn't expecting much difference at the park and with rather limited enthusiasm I wasn't expecting to spend a great amount of time there either.
Chiffchaff, Woodpigeon, Whitethroat, Greenfinch, Herring Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Shelduck, Oystercatcher, Carrion Crow, Feral Pigeon and House Martin were all noted around the western end, though the height of the vegetation in front of the hide is now rendering it almost completely pointless. I wandered along to the main part of the upper half of the park. Jackdaw, Goldfinch, Skylark, Yellowhammer, Song Thrush, Blackcap and Blackbird made it onto the list for the park visit. I checked the area where the Cuckoo had been hanging around but wasn't surprised to draw a blank. There were plenty of Rabbits around and a few Swifts were seen overhead. Down in the burn I picked out a few vocal Black Headed Gulls.
There were a few Azure Damselflies at the small 'newt' pond. A Robin was in the bushes behind. A pair of Starlings flew over in the direction of Invergowrie. A lady walking her dog stopped for a chat about the wildlife at the park and as we were talking I spotted a distant Osprey hovering out to the east, off the airport. From the top of the hill, a Sparrowhawk was seen off to the north. A few Linnets were around the top of the hill and a Chaffinch flew over. I headed round for a look at the Lochan. Long Tailed Tits and Magpie were noted on the way. A drake Mallard dropped in as I watched House Martins, a Swallow and a few Swifts hunting over the water. The Mute Swans and their 3 cygnets were swimming around, as was a trio of young Moorhens. A pair of adults got into a bit of a dispute before one of them retreated. An adult and a young Common Damselfly were spotted in front of the wooden screen.
I was joined by a couple of walkers and we chatted for a while about various birds and sites around the city before they continued on their way round the park. A pair of Stock Doves dropped in for a drink and a male Reed Bunting was seen by the water's edge before I headed round in the opposite direction, finding a singing Willow Warbler. A Rook overflew and the Pheasant was heard from its usual area within the now fenced off recycling area where piles of rubbish are now rising higher. I heard Bullfinches calling by the car park and an unidentified white butterfly was seen in flight but refused to land to allow me to identify it. A few Common Carpet moths were seen in various spots. I added a calling Coal Tit as I headed for the eastern exit having managed a total of 40 species during my visit.
The walk home via Balgay Cemetery and a return to the Law proved to be relatively fruitless (bar a Greenfinch on Glamis Road and a Bullfinch at the Law) though I did bump into Ian Morrison between the hills and had an enjoyable chat to him before rather wearily continuing on again. The total number of species for outwith the park was 28 and combined with the 40 at the park gave me a combined total of 46 species of bird as well as 2 of damselflies, 1 moth species and 2 of mammals (though I did also find a dead Common? Shrew between the 2 ponds). As things were mostly rather quiet I didn't take very many wildlife photos so there is some repetition in the photos below.
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| Swift |
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| Goldfinch |
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| Sparrowhawk |
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| Sparrowhawk |
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| Sparrowhawk |
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| Sparrowhawk |
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| Rabbit |
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Azure Damselfly
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Azure Damselfly
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Pondskater sp.
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Common(?) Shrew
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Common Carpet
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| Sparrowhawk |
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| Moorhen |
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| Moorhen |
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Mute Swan
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Common Blue Damselfly
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| Yellowhammer |
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| Yellowhammer |
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House Martin
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Birds (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Magpie, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Song Thrush, Starling, Swift, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Mammals (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Grey Squirrel.
Birds (at Riverside Nature Park) - Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Bullfinch, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch,
Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Herring Gull,
House Martin, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull,
Linnet, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Shelduck, Skylark, Song Thrush,
Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Swift, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
Damselflies (at Riverside Nature park) - Azure Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly.
Mammals (at Riverside Nature Park) - Rabbit.
Moths (at Riverside Nature Park) - Common Carpet.
