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| Linnet |
I did go birding on 26th of September but it really felt like a complete waste of time. I started at the Law to see if there were any migrants in the trees there (just a Chiffchaff) then down to City Quay (Cormorants) then up to Swannie Ponds via Eastern Cemetery. I did somehow manage to see or hear 33 species but it really doesn't warrant a blog-post. The main highlight was a large Brown Rat in Dudhope Park which stood and looked at me from within touching distance before calmly disappearing under the bushes as I tried to get my phone set up to video it. To try to put Thursday's efforts out of my mind I decided to head for Balmossie, rather than Riverside Nature Park, on Friday. The main reason for this choice was that disturbance is usually less on weekdays.
Despite getting up relatively early I wasted so much time not really doing anything before I finally headed out just before 0935. I decided to take the most direct route, via Baxter Park and down Craigie Avenue to the Stannergate. Feral Pigeon, Herring Gull, Carrion Crow, Starling, Chaffinch, Robin, Woodpigeon and Jackdaw made for a fairly normal mix of species to start the list off. There was a House Martin over Park Avenue and Goldcrest, Magpie and a small flock of Pied Wagtails were seen in Baxter Park. An overflying Grey Wagtail, some local House Sparrows and a couple of Blue Tits were noted along Bingham Terrace.
As I was passing the site of the old church halfway down Craigie Avenue, I spotted a male Sparrowhawk landing in a tree behind the bus shelter. I crossed the road and hoping I was hidden by the Rhodedendron bushes I took out the camera to try to get some photos. Although there was a branch across the top of the birds head, I got some nice close-up photos of the bird. Unfortunately, as I moved round a little to try to get a better angle, the bird flew off again. Another Sparrowhawk (or possibly the same one) was seen over Craigie Drive, with a third shortly after as I headed out along from the Stannergate.
There was an Oystercatcher by the side of the road on the grass island at the junction opposite the shops at the bottom of Craigie Avenue and a skein of Pink Footed Goose and also a Meadow Pipit flew over, though heading in different directions. The 'migrant trap' proved fruitless with only a Dunnock to be found there. A Curlew was down on the shore and a couple of Swallows zipped past westwards. A Shag out on the river was a slight surprise so far upriver (though they do make it to City Quay sometimes, and there has been 1 in Invergowrie Bay before. One was even found on the Tay in Perth last year). There was a single Lesser Black Backed Gull and a couple of Black Headed Gulls in with the gull roost. A Cormorant was stood on the rocks. The first Turnstones of the day were almost invisible among the pebbles.
Both Long Tailed Tit and Wren were heard on the walk out along towards Douglas Terrace while Goosander, Eider and Common Gull were spotted when I got there. Redshank was seen at the lifeboat jetty and a Red Admiral flitted past when I stopped to check them out. I sat up in the castle for a while which got me Rock Pipit and Siskin but nothing else was seen out on, or over the river. There were a couple of Goldfinch feeding down on the grass by the side of the castle when I left. I popped into the nature reserve where a Chiffchaff and a Great Tit were heard and a Rook flew over before I found a single Speckled Wood butterfly. A Song Thrush was heard from the rock garden as I headed along towards Balmossie. There were plenty of birds around and I even managed to get the 'seaglass' lady to not continue along the beach and flush them all, as she often does.
This did result in around 90 minutes of undisturbed birds. I picked out Mute Swan, Stock Dove, Great Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Wigeon, Little Egret, Dunlin, Sanderling and Ringed Plover, amongst the other waders, ducks, corvids, Starlings and gulls. The disturbance when it eventually came was in the shape of a young Peregrine. It forced a Ringed Plover down into the water not far offshore then attempted to pluck the bird from the water. After a couple of attempts it succeeded and carried it off elsewhere with crows and gulls in pursuit at first. A distant Gannet was seen out over the sea. The walk home provided decent photo opportunities with a few species and a Grey Seal for the overall list. I also had a short chat to Barrie Hunter near the castle.
A Grey Squirrel was seen as I cut up towards Craigie Drive, having crossed the road earlier than usual. At Strips of Craigie Road a Greenfinch was heard. A Buzzard and a number of Rabbits were seen as I wandered wearily up through Eastern Cemetery and a Blackbirdwas the final addition to the day's list as I headed back along Bingham Terrace. The Blackbird took the list for the day to 54 species of bird, as well as 2 species of butterfly and 3 of mammal. It was certainly a far more productive, and fairly enjoyable, day's birding than the previous day had been.
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| Sparrowhawk |
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| Oystercatcher |
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| Turnstone |
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| Curlew |
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| Cormorant |
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| Shag |
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Black Headed Gull
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| Sparrowhawk |
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Pink Footed Goose
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| Eider |
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Common Gull
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| Rook |
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Speckled Wood
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| Linnet |
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Great Black Backed Gull, Herring Gull & Lesser Black Backed Gull
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Pink Footed Goose
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Ringed Plover
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| Sanderling |
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| Peregrine |
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Peregrine & Ringed Plover
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Peregrine & Ringed Plover
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| Linnet |
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| Gannet |
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Pied Wagtail
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Birds - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard,
Carrion
Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Common Gull, Cormorant, Curlew,
Dunlin, Dunnock, Eider, Gannet, Goldcrest, Goldfinch,
Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed
Gull, Linnet, Little Egret, Long Tailed
Tit, Magpie, Meadow Pipit, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher,
Peregrine, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Redshank, Ringed Plover, Robin,
Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook, Sanderling, Shag, Siskin, Song
Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Turnstone, Wigeon,
Woodpigeon, Wren.
Butterflies - Red Admiral, Speckled Wood.
Mammals - Grey Seal, Grey Squirrel, Rabbit.
