 |
| Goldcrest |
On the 30th of November I wanted to get out birding, though I didn't have very much of a plan. The weather wasn't brilliant although it was dry, so I figured I should make the effort. I wasn't feeling particularly great however, so I decided that it would be a case of heading out and just seeing how I felt as things progressed. If once I got somewhere and I felt OK, I would then move on to somewhere else a little further away. With a bit of luck I would visit a few of the closer spots and then perhaps head out towards Broughty Ferry, and maybe even out as far as Balmossie.
I headed out the door at 1015. Feral Pigeon, Robin and Herring Gull made for a typical, if rather unexciting, start for the day's list. Starling, Magpie and Dunnock followed as I headed up to Clepington Road. Jackdaws were seen on the new flats and a detour into Mains Terrace only delivered Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Blue Tit and Great Tit. My next stop was to be Swannie Ponds. Grey Heron, Coot, Mallard, Black Headed Gull, Herring Gull, Mute Swan and Common Gull provided a fairly 'normal' selection on the water. A pair of Mistle Thrushes, a couple of Oystercatchers and a Wren gave me a few more species for the day. I still wasn't feeling particularly great, so I decided my next stop would be Spring Gove in Baxter Park.
Things were relatively quiet there though with a bit of patience I was able to see a few more species - Blackbird, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Pied Wagtail, Goldfinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit and House Sparrow. The "star bird" however was a Goldcrest which took a bath relatively close to where I was standing, which gave me prolonged views of the species doing something I don't recall ever having had the opportunity to see, or photograph, previously. As I still wasn't feeling too great, I decided to head back up to the ponds for another quick look before heading home again, rather than move on further away, as I had originally hoped to do.
I hadn't seen Moorhen at the ponds earlier in the morning, but I was successful the second time around, with one showing well on the rocks and on the water. A party of Long Tailed Tits were working their way through the trees next to both ponds, though getting a clear shot of them proved to be rather tricky. Redwings and Bullfinches put in appearances as I photographed some more of the 'local' birds and a Siskin was noted as I wandered up the stairs for the walk back home. I had managed to see, or hear, a total of 34 species in just under 3.5 hours of birding, with the bathing Goldcrest the main highlight during that time.
 |
Pied Wagtail
|
 |
Great Tit
|
 |
| Goldcrest |
 |
| Goldcrest |
 |
| Goldcrest |
 |
Blue Tit
|
 |
Great Tit
|
 |
Long Tailed Tit
|
 |
Tufted Duck
|
 |
Common Gull
|
 |
| Moorhen |
 |
| Bullfinch |
 |
Mistle Thrush
|
 |
Common Gull & Black Headed Gull
|
 |
| Mallard |
 |
Grey Heron
|
 |
Black Headed Gull
|
 |
Mute Swan
|
 |
| Magpie |
 |
| Redwing |
 |
| Woodpigeon |
 |
| Jackdaw |
 |
Mistle Thrush
|
 |
| Chaffinch |
 |
| Collared Dove |
|
|
Birds - Black Headed Gull, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Coot, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Siskin, Starling, Tufted Duck, Woodpigeon, Wren.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I didn't go anywhere on Sunday as I still wasn't feeling particularly good, and the following Wednesday I had to wait in for a parcel. I had been contemplating updating my thermal imager for the past couple of years, but always talked myself out of it as for my purposes the one I had was of a decent quality and ability. However, on a whim, I decided to treat myself to an early Christmas present - a much more capable model, though from the same company. I had a feeling that by the time it arrived, I probably wouldn't be able to fit in much birding, but I did want to try out the new toy. It was around 1415 when it arrived and once I got organised it was closer to 1445. That didn't leave me too much daylight, but as 'seeing in the dark' was what the thermal imager was for, that wasn't really an issue. However, rain was forecast for around 1615.
I had left the camera at home and thrown my binoculars into my bag to travel light. Trying for Snipe and Jack Snipe at Trottick was my original thought for where to go, but I realised that the nearby high school would likely be getting out around the time I would be there, so I settled instead on just making the most of a visit to the much closer Caird Park. Herring Gull, Magpie, Feral Pigeon, Blue Tit, Starling, Jackdaw, House Sparrow, Goldfinch, Woodpigeon and Carrion Crow made for a steady stream of birds as I headed up Arklay Street and down Graham Street. A small group of Curlews on the football pitches there was a bit of a surprise. Once into Caird Park, I headed down across the golf course towards the Gelly Burn and the ponds. A nearby Wren gave me a good indication of what the thermal imager was capable of, with far better detail visible - making ID possible now, rather than just knowing that I can see a 'bird-shaped blob of heat'.
A Blackbird was also picked out before a Grey Squirrel scrambled across one of the tees and into the trees. There were a few more Wrens around as I wandered along to the ponds. I checked the trees on the north side for Tawny Owl, which I've heard calling from there in the past. I also tried the conifers by the top end of the ponds. I could see a bird perched close into the trunk up near the top, though getting a clear enough view proved impossible to be 100% certain of the ID. I suspect it may well have been a Tawny Owl, rather than a Woodpigeon, as I did see a couple of those and the heads were much more obvious. A Moorhen and a couple of Mallards were at the top pond, but by this time, the light was very poor. It was very grey and murky, almost misty - though not quite.
Ahead of me, I could see a bird with a long beak. I thought it was a Grey Heron, half-hidden behind the pond-side vegetation. It wasn't though. One of the things about using the thermal imager is working out where things you can't see with the naked eye are in relation to the vegetation that you can see on screen. The bird suddenly took off and flew away from me down towards the lower pond. It had been a Kingfisher, just a few feet in front of me. I added a Robin before I headed homewards having managed to see, hear and 'see' via the thermal imager a total of 33 species and 1 probable. I was impressed with the new thermal imager, except for the 3x magnification 'standard' view (my original model has both 1x and 2x, of which I tend to use the 2x most). That aside it is definitely a big step up in capability and I look forward to seeing what else I can find with it. Videos of Moorhen and Kingfisher below.
Birds - Blackbird, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Curlew, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Kingfisher, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Starling, Tawny Owl(?), Woodpigeon, Wren.
Mammals - Grey Squirrel.
