1408 : Invergowrie Baywatch (9/7/25)

Mediterranean Gull (& Black Headed Gull, Sandwich Tern) 

This summer is proving to be relatively slow for new species for my #2025Dundee150 list with June having only delivered a Cuckoo on the 5th of the month. I'd hoped that things would pick up a bit in July with 'Autumn migration' already underway. As if to illustrate this movement, my first Tree Pipit of the year overflew on the 7th of July while I was walking to work, taking my total so far to 129 species. At the same point in 2023 my total was 124, but in 2024 the figure was 135. However, my final total in 2023 was 155, while 2024 proved to be lot less productive in the second half of the year with only another 15 species added between then and the end of the year. There are never 2 years the same, so this year could yet go either way, or even find its own completely unexpected route to somewhere around the finish line.

For my midweek outing on the 9th of July, I had been contemplating a trip to Broughty Ferry but with decent weather and the school holidays now underway, I decided a better bet would be Riverside Nature Park. Mark had found a summer plumaged Mediterranean Gull on Monday and I hoped that it would hang around, though often they are 'one day wonders'. My expectations were rather low, given how many times I've scanned through every single gull in the bay multiple times in search of a Mediterranean Gull from the park. I headed out just after 0700 as it was meant to get rather warm as the day progressed and I wanted to get to the park before the higher temperatures arrived. House Sparrow, Herring Gull, Swift, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Feral Pigeon and Starling got things started off. Blackbird and Jackdaw were seen before a slight lull in proceedings.

Goldfinch, Blue Tit, Sparrowhawk, Magpie, House Martin, Dunnock, Wren, Chiffchaff, Chaffinch and Great Tit were all added as I headed to the top of the Law for a quick look around. Blackcap, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Goldcrest were noted before I set off back down the hill. A Siskin was heard on the walk down to Lochee Road. At Victoria Park, I found the day's first butterfly - a Green-veined White. A Nuthatch was seen near the bridge then Robin and Bullfinch were spotted as I headed for the Kelso Street steps. A Swallow zipped past me on Blackness Road. Greenfinch was heard as I passed the Invercarse Hotel. Song Thrush was my final addition before I reached the eastern entrance to Riverside Nature Park.

Things felt relatively quiet at the park initially. Blackbird, Goldfinch, Wren and Herring Gull were first onto the visit list. Woodpigeon, Siskin and Song Thrush as well as a couple of Meadow Brown butterflies were next. More wandering around the lower half provided me with Whitethroat, Coal Tit, Blackcap, Carrion Crow, Swift and Feral Pigeon. Chiffchaff, Magpie, Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Green-veined White butterfly were noted as I made my way towards the car park. It was by now rather warm and there seemed to be plenty of butterflies about. Both Large and Small White and a Small Tortoiseshell were seen by the car park. A Robin was seen from the car park. A Red Admiral and a Comma joined the other butterfly species on the list for the day by the junction of paths to the west.

A trio of Oystercatchers overflew and the first Skylarks of the morning ascended above the hilltop. Curlew and Sandwich Tern were easily seen when I got my first view of the bay and the river. A singing Sedge Warbler, a flyover Swallow and a passing Linnet all added to the birds already on the day's list. The tide still had a fair bit to go on its way back in but a bit of scanning got Black-headed Gull, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Lapwing, Common Sandpiper, Mallard, Common Gull and Redshank. A trio of Little Egrets could just be made out on the small island off Kingoodie. A couple of Sand Martins headed west out over the bay. A Ringlet butterfly was seen by the small pools and a vocal Great Black-backed Gull flew past. Dunnock, Grey Wagtail and Greenfinch were all noted as I headed round for a look at the Lochan (or at least what little of it is currently just visible). 

A few Six-Spot Burnet moths were new for the day, as well as for the year. A Pheasant called loudly from beyond the wooden gate. A Reed Bunting sang from the hedgerow by the Lochan. A few Moorhens were seen at the Lochan, as well as a Great Tit above me and a Buzzard off to the north. A slow wander round the top half of the park again failed to add anything new, but by the time I made it back round at the bay, the incoming tide had covered around a third of what had been previously above water. A distant Mute Swan was picked out on the river towards the islet. After a lot of scanning through the Sandwich Terns and Black-headed Gulls across the far side of the bay, I picked out a gull with an obviously black hood, and a visibly orange-red bill. Photos, despite the distance and heat distortion, confirmed the ID. I had my hoped for Mediterranean Gull.

Over the course of the next hour, my only additions were Chaffinch, Blue Tit and Shelduck (an adult with 9 small ducklings). Across the bay, I'd seen a couple of potential Common Terns but they weren't convincing enough to be absolutely certain of the ID. Around 1255, I happened to glance upwards and was pleasantly surprised to spot a silent Common Tern above me. I quickly grabbed a few photos as it headed out towards the river. This was my second new bird of the day for my #2025Dundee150 list, and a very welcome bonus. Another wander added Jackdaw and Stock Dove from the hide, and back round near the picnic tables again, I had a brief look at a second Common Tern. Over the next couple of hours, I found a Speckled Wood butterfly, a small flock of Starlings and what was surprisingly the day's first Rabbits.

I finished the park visit around 1530 having managed to see, or hear, a total of 55 species of birds, 9 species of butterflies, 1 species of mammal and 1 species of moth. On leaving the park, I crossed the road and found a couple of Meadow Browns by the trees opposite. As I wandered along eastwards, I heard a Sandwich Tern calling and remembered that the Amazon warehouse often holds a Tern and Gull roost around high tide. I stopped to scan what I could see of the roof, through gaps between the roadside trees. It was full of birds - Sandwich Terns (including at least 3 ringed birds), a single Herring Gull, a single Common Gull and what was very likely the earlier Mediterranean Gull. Having taken lots of very poor record shots of the bird earlier, I was pleased to be able to get some decent views and photos of the bird. I spent around 15-20 minutes scanning through the roost from various spots in case I overlooked anything before moving on again (and later at home checking the photos found what appears to be the front half of a Common Tern too). 

I had just left when the birds in the roost took to the air en masse and headed east towards the airport. I wondered if they might be headed in the direction of the football pitches by the Bridgeview Station restaurant and crossed the road for a better look. As I looked through the binoculars, something very reflective flew through my view and disappeared out of sight behind a tree. I had seen just enough to realise it was a vintage Douglas Dakota, so I ran down towards the airport fence to try to get some photos of the rare visitor to the airport (all the way from Switzerland). I even bumped into my old plane-spotting buddy at the fence and managed to rather cheekily mooch a lift up the road, saving myself from a long weary walk in the process (thanks, Geoff & Jackie). I ended the day with a combined total of 59 species of birds (including 2 new for my #2025Dundee150 list - in bold), made up of 55 species at the park, and 35 outwith. In addition I also managed to get 9 of butterflies and 1 each of mammal and moth. Given my low expectations for the day it had worked out much better than I could have hoped for.

Meadow Brown
Siskin
Whitethroat
Meadow Brown
Large White
Large White
Chiffchaff
Sparrowhawk
Little Egret
Grey Heron
Redshank & Common Sandpiper
Mediterranean Gull, Black Headed Gull & Sandwich Tern
Grey Heron, Oystercatcher, Carrion Crow & Black Headed Gull
Common Tern
Sandwich Tern
Sandwich Tern
Black Headed Gull
Sandwich Tern
Sandwich Tern
Sandwich Tern
Large White
Sandwich Tern, Black Headed Gull & Mediterranean Gull

Birds (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Black-headed Gull, Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Common Gull, Common Tern, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Magpie, Mediterranean Gull, Nuthatch, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Sandwich Tern, Siskin, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Swallow, Swift, Woodpigeon, Wren.

Butterflies (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Green-veined White, Meadow Brown.

Birds (at Riverside Nature Park) - Black-headed Gull, Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Common Tern, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Great Black-backed Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Lapwing, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Linnet, Little Egret, Magpie, Mallard, Mediterranean Gull, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Sand Martin, Sandwich Tern, Sedge Warbler, Shelduck, Siskin, Skylark, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Swift, Whitethroat, Woodpigeon, Wren.

Butterflies (at Riverside Nature Park) - Comma, Green-veined White, Large White, Meadow Brown, Red Admiral, Ringlet, Small Tortoiseshell, Small White, Speckled Wood.

Mammals (at Riverside Nature Park) - Rabbit.

Moth (at Riverside Nature Park) - Six-spot Burnet. 

1407 : Cetaceans On Sunday (6/7/25)

Rock Pipit

I am generally not keen on visiting Broughty Ferry at the weekend, due to the increase in the numbers of people around which leads to increased disturbance, both on land and increasingly out on the water too. However, I decided to head out reasonably early and see what I might find. There had been an increase in the Bottlenose Dolphin activity, so I hoped there might be a chance that the feeding opportunities that were bringing in the dolphins might also bring in a seabird or two (with terns and Kittiwake the most likely of those). The weather forecast wasn't great but was better than the previous day's windy and showery conditions, though there was some likelihood of rain.  

I headed out to the sound of the local House Sparrows, with Blackbird, Herring Gull and Swifts all very obvious too. Feral Pigeon and Dunnock were added on the way to Dundonald Street where Blue Tit, House Martin, Magpie, Goldfinch and Starling were all noted. Jackdaw and Collared Dove were seen as I crossed Albert Street. Nearing Baxter Park a Chaffinch was seen singing from a TV aerial. At the park itself Carrion Crow, Greenfinch, Swallow, Woodpigeon and Robin were all found. Continuing on along Bingham Terrace got me Chiffchaff and Wren with overflying Oystercatchers spotted as I got closer to Eastern Cemetery. A family group of Long-tailed Tits were in the trees lining the roadsides.

Halfway down Craigie Avenue, Siskins and a Crossbill overflew while a Black Headed Gull in summer plumage looked on from atop a lamppost. A Sparrowhawk circled over the houses a bit to the east. At the Stannergate I was able to add Lesser Black-backed Gull and Linnet as well as a singing Song Thrush and a few Rabbits. Down on the shore, a lone drake Mallard in eclipse plumage was a slight surprise among the more expected Herring Gulls. A family group of 4 Pied Wagtails overflew as I wandered out along the esplanade path. The day's first Grey Heron was down by the water and a rather distant Goosander was picked out on the flat calm river. A couple of much closer Goosander were spotted down at the water's edge not too much further on. The day's first Curlew overflew and a Cormorant was spotted over towards Tayport. A Redshank was seen on the pipe at Douglas Terrace. I spotted a Gannet across the far side of the river as it flew around looking for a potential meal below the water. As almost always seem to be the case, it flew up to just past the lighthouses over at Tayport before heading back downriver. A few Common Gulls were perched on the railings at the lifeboat jetty. 

Shortly after seeing them, it was a Grey Wagtail's turn to overfly. From Beach Crescent I spotted a Bottlenose Dolphin over towards the Lucky Scalp pile light and hurried round past the castle for a better look. I wasn't expecting a dolphin in the shallow water just off the beach, but that was where one was. I hurried down across the sand for a closer look but it had swum away to the east before I had even made it onto the beach. For the next 5 hours or so, I had dolphins in sight almost the whole time I was watching. A Great Black-backed Gull put in an appearance as I stood on the beach. I had noticed the sky getting progressively darker and more menacing looking so I decided to head for shelter up by the car park toilets. I timed it just right as the heavens opened and it poured down. During the latter part of this downpour I spotted the dolphins breaching right next to the Saltdog Marine rhib and managed to get some photos which showed just what sort of views the passengers were getting, while also getting rather wet.

Thankfully the shower passed through, though not before a couple of Sandwich Terns passed along the edge of the beach in the rain. Once I set up the scope near the dolphins sculpture I was soon able to add Eider, Grey Seal and Guillemot out on the river, while a Rock Pipit or 2 and a few Pied Wagtails picked around on the beach. I spotted my first Osprey (of 4) of the day hovering over the river near Lucky Scalp and around an hour later I picked out an even more distant Buzzard. A small flock of Bar-tailed Godwits were seen in flight over by Tayport. I let a few passers-by view the dolphins through my scope while scanning with binoculars myself. A Mute Swan was seen low over the river from the direction of Tayport. I eventually decided to head up into the castle for the raised perspective it offers. As I headed towards the castle, I spotted a bird down on the beach which flew off almost as soon as I stopped to take a picture, an adult male Wheatear. From the castle I was able to add Shelduck over at the Tayport side of the river though most other birds (bar Osprey and Curlew) weren't quite so identifiable. 

Word came through on the Fife Bird Club grapevine that 2 Ruddy Shelduck had been reported on the Tay off Tayport around 40 minutes prior. I searched the river and the beach to no avail. (What was likely the same pair turned up at Port Allen a few days later - having no doubt flown past Riverside Nature Park, where they would have been a new species for the park-list). The Wheatear turned up in the castle though it was rather flighty. The dolphins had eventually headed out of sight to the east and so I decided to head homewards around 1545. A Stock Dove and a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly were seen on the walk back along the river and a couple of Kestrels were the day's final addition at the Stannergate, taking my list for the day to 53 species, with the dolphins riding the bow wave of a ship being the main highlight of the day, though the Crossbill and the Wheatear were the main avian highlights.

Mallard
Curlew
Goosander
Black Headed Gull
Grey Heron
Redshank
Gannet
Common Gull
Grey Wagtail
Bottlenose Dolphin
Bottlenose Dolphin
Bottlenose Dolphin
Grey Seal
Eider
Cormorant
Pied Wagtail
Bottlenose Dolphin
Bottlenose Dolphin
Bottlenose Dolphin
Bottlenose Dolphin
Bottlenose Dolphin
Mute Swan
Wheatear
Herring Gull & Wheatear
Wheatear
Goosander
Osprey
Carrion Crow
Oystercatcher
Rabbit
Stock Dove

Birds - Bar Tailed Godwit, Black-headed Gull, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Cormorant, Crossbill, Curlew, Dunnock, Eider, Gannet, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black-backed Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Linnet, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Mute Swan, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Sandwich Tern, Shelduck, Siskin, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Swift, Wheatear, Woodpigeon, Wren.

Butterflies - Small Tortoiseshell.

Mammals - Bottlenose Dolphin, Grey Seal, Rabbit.