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Pink Footed Goose
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On the 11th of October, Lainy messaged me while I was at work to let me know she'd found a Barnacle Goose in with the Pink Footed Geese flock which had been hanging around to the west of Clatto Reservoir all week. Despite people coming and going past the field the birds were remaining in place, to the east of the farm buildings. As the work day progressed I contemplated walking up to Clatto once I'd finished, in the hope that the Barnacle Goose would still be around, but ultimately decided against it deciding instead to head up there early on Saturday morning. I would have to hope that the Barnacle Goose would still be around, ideally in the same field. I knew it was a bit of a gamble....
Unfortunately the weather changed overnight and I woke to find it was raining. I had been intending on an early start but had to change my plan. The rain appeared to be stopping around 1015, though there was a chance of further showers. I headed out anyway though the rain hadn't quite stopped completely. Jackdaw, Feral Pigeon, House Sparrow, Herring Gull and Carrion Crow were first onto the list. Robin, Wren, Magpie, Starling and Dunnock soon followed as I headed in the direction of the Kingsway. Once I'd crossed Clepington Road, I realised that a number 22 bus was almost due and decided to save some energy and time. A small flock of swans flew over as I waited for the bus to arrive. Initially I thought they might be Whoopers as there was no 'wing noise' but as I couldn't be certain I chose not to include them on the list.
The only addition from the bus was a Woodpigeon. The walk up the dirt track to Clatto got me Black Headed Gull, Goldfinch, Rook, Greenfinch and Yellowhammer. A Buzzard flew over the fields and a pair of Ravens were heard and then seen, though they were rather distant off to the north. I could hear Pink Footed Geese off to the east somewhere just before I headed into the trees by the 'new houses'. Blackbird, Bullfinch and Jay were found in amongst the trees before I reached the reservoir. Goosander, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Mallard, Common Gull, Pied Wagtail and Grey Wagtail were seen on the water or around the edges. A few Chaffinches and Coal Tits were in the trees.
Unfortunately, there was no sign of any birds in the field the previous day's geese had been. I decided to head outside of the Dundee boundaries to check the geese in the fields to the north. There was a flock in the usual grass field but I failed to find anything unusual in with the Pinkfeet there. I headed back down from the 'Xmas tree field' and as I did so, a small flock of half a dozen Pinkies dropped in to the field where Friday's birds had been. I hoped that they might be joined by others. I was able to get decent views though a heavy shower of rain resulted in me seeking shelter below the trees at the western edge of the reservoir. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen once the rain stopped and another check of the reservoir added Tufted Duck and Great Crested Grebe to the day's list.
There appeared to be lots of Rooks around, which is appraently quite unusual as Lainy doesn't often see the species around on her patch. I spotted more Pinkies out to the west, though they looked a bit further away than the previous week's flock. I headed in that direction for a look. A Sparrowhawk was seen over the Pine Cone Cafe site being harassed by the local corvids and a Goldcrest was heard in the trees behind me. I followed the footpath across the road and wandered along towards Birkhill. A Roe Deer wandered slowly across a stubble field before I found the main geese flock. Unfortunately there was no sign of any Barnacle Goose amongst them. I eventually had a wander up through Templeton Woods before heading back to the reservoir where a Lesser Black Backed Gull was found on the wooden raft with Herring Gulls.
The sky was beginning to look rather threatening so I decided to head for home as it appeared there was no sign of Lainy's Barnacle Goose from the day before. The walk home added a Great Tit in the trees to the east of the reservoir and a couple of Curlews at the football pitches at Fairmuir Park. I almost made it all the way home without getting wet but the rain started as I passed Dens Park, though it didn't get particularly heavy until after I had made it home. My total for the day was 41 species, none of which were new for my #Dundee150 list. I had known that there was a chance of missing out on the Barnacle Goose by waiting until Saturday, but there were also no guarantees that the bird would have still been around by the time I made it to the site after work. Although it was disappointing to miss out on seeing it and adding it to my #Dundee150 list, there are never any 100% guarantees when it comes to seeing birds of any species, so I will just need to hope that I can find a Barnacle Goose of 'my own' before the 31st of December.
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| Yellowhammer |
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| Greenfinch |
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| Buzzard |
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| Rook |
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Pink Footed Goose
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| jay |
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Pink Footed Goose
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Pink Footed Goose
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Great Crested Grebe
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Sparrowhawk & Rook
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Pink Footed Goose
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Roe Deer
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Pink Footed Goose
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| Buzzard |
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| Goldfinch |
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Great Crested Grebe
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Black Headed Gull, Grey Wagtail & Common Gull
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Pink Footed Goose
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Pink Footed Goose
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Tufted Duck
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Great Crested Grebe
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Black Headed Gull & Common Gull
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Birds - Black Headed Gull, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Curlew, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Crested Grebe, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Raven, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Skylark, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Tufted Duck, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
Mammals - Roe Deer.
