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Mediterranean Gull & Black Headed Gull
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Although I didn't mention it in the blog-post at the time, I had fairly recently come home from a visit to Riverside Nature Park to find that I had no hot water. A few days later, a plumber came out and found that the heater element had 'tripped' off and reset it. This worked for a few hours but then I was right back to square one. I decided my best bet was to replace the 'cylinder' entirely rather than go through the same rigmarole on a regular basis. As I was going to be off work anyway, I arranged for the replacement to be done on Friday morning. I was hoping that I would be able to get out birding once the job was done and as things turned out I was able to get out for around 1400 on the Friday afternoon. As Mark had managed to get a couple of Curlew Sandpipers and the Mediterranean Gull had been seen again on Thursday, I had a few reasons to head for Riverside Nature Park.
Afternoon visits are never my favourite due to issues with the 'light' in the bay as the afternoon progresses. Additionally there is much less bird activity around the park in the afternoon anyway. I headed out at 1355 to find Herring Gull the only bird(s) around. It was another 10 minutes before I managed to add anything else, with Carrion Crow and Feral Pigeon at Canning Street. Blue Tit was noted further on along Byron Street with Jackdaw, Woodpigeon, Goldfinch and House Sparrow all before I reached Loon's Road. There I added Lesser Black Backed Gull to the list and Black Headed Gull was next at the football pitches. Coal Tit, Great Tit, Robin and Goldcrest were found in Balgay Cemetery with Chaffinch and Grey Squirrel on Ninewells Avenue. Magpie, Wren and Chiffchaff were the final finds before I reached the Invergowrie end of the Nature Park at 1500.
I scanned first from the bridge which got things off to a decent start with Feral Pigeon, Herring Gull, Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, hundreds of Black Headed Gulls, a few Lesser Black Backed Gulls and a single Great Black Backed Gull. Chiffchaff and Long Tailed Tits were heard but not seen. Lapwing, Carrion Crow, Common Gull, Swallow, Redshank, Oystercatcher and Cormorant kept things ticking over before the tide had receded enough to bring back the Black Headed Gulls in large numbers to the mud in front of the hide. As I scanned through them and across the wider area, I noted 5 Little Egrets, a Wigeon, Curlew, both Black Tailed Godwit and Bar Tailed Godwit, plus a Great Tit which was in the trees by the hide. A pair of Kingfisher chased each other over towards the reedbed by the station as I continued to methodically work my way through all the Black Headed Gulls.
I was messaging Lainy about helping her out the following day at an event at Clatto Reservoir when I spotted what looked like fully white wing-tips protruding from behind a Black Headed Gull. The bearer of these wing-tips was preening and my view of the head and legs was blocked by the aforementioned Black Headed Gull. Patience paid off in the end and I was happy to finally get a clear view of the previously elusive adult Mediterranean Gull that Keith, Mark and Lainy had all managed to see without too much trouble. I messaged Lainy back to let her know that I had my 140th species of the year for my #Dundee150 list. Only another 10 species to go...though there's not many particularly reliable species left for me to mop up easily.
With the Mediterranean Gull safely 'in the bag' I headed round to the raised banking to check through the rest of the bay, as by this time, the tide had receded quite far. A pair of Buzzards put in an appearance and both Large White and Meadow Brown butterflies were noted by the path. With a better view of the rest of the bay (though the reflected light from the wet mud wasn't ideal) I was able to add Knot, Dunlin, Sandwich Tern, Teal, Greenshank and Mallard, though given the light conditions and tide state I wasn't too surprised that I failed to find the Curlew Sandpipers. The bushes down in front provided Greenfinch, Blackcap, Wren and Goldfinch. Stock Dove was seen in flight and a Grey Heron dropped in before I decided I had probably best check the rest of the park and then head for home. Blackbird and Chaffinch were both heard as I walked round to the Lochan where Moorhens were very much in evidence. My final addition at the park was a Robin in the lower half.
I caught a bus back into town to save time and energy and as a result the list for the afternoon didn't get any longer. The walk up from the town also failed to add anything new so I finished the afternoon's relatively productive birding with a combined total of 47 species (including a new bird for my #Dundee150 list - in bold) made up of 42 species at RNP and 18 outwith as well as 2 butterfly species and 1 of mammal. With Mediterranean Gull finally caught up with, over a month earlier than in 2023, I had removed another prospective 'bogey bird' from the list of potential banana skins with regards reaching my goal of getting 150 species from within Dundee. 10 species should be gettable, but the 'easy' stuff is mostly already on the list. Lots more effort, and luck, will be required between now and the end of December....
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| Cormorant |
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Herring Gull, Great Black Backed Gull & Carrion Crow
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| Lapwing |
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Herring Gull, Redshank & Oystercatcher
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Little Egret, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Herring Gull, Black Tailed Godwit & Black Headed Gull
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Little Egret
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Herring Gull, Carrion Crow, Black Headed Gull & Little Egret
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Mediterranean Gull & Black Headed Gull
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Mediterranean Gull & Black Headed Gull
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Mediterranean Gull & Black Headed Gull
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Mediterranean Gull & Black Headed Gull
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Mediterranean Gull
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| Buzzard |
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Black Tailed Godwit
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| Buzzard |
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| Redshank |
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| Greenshank |
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| Redshank |
Birds (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Magpie, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Mammals (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Grey Squirrel.
Birds (at Riverside Nature Park) - Bar Tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Common Gull, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Greenshank, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Kingfisher, Knot, Lapwing, Leseer Black Backed Gull, Little Egret, Long Tailed Tit, Mallard, Mediterranean Gull, Moorhen, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Sandwich Tern, Song Thrush, Stock Dove, Swallow, Teal, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Butterflies (at Riverside Nature Park) - Large White, Meadow Brown.
