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| Redwing |
With my total for the year still one short of my target figure at 149, and a potentially wet but definitely windy weather forecast for the final Sunday of 2024 on the cards, I knew I had to take a chance and get out regardless. I weighed up my rather limited options and none seemed particularly promising. Strong winds tends to keep the smaller birds hidden in cover, which more or less ruled out the possibility of finding a Brambling. Broughty Ferry and Balmossie had failed to deliver on recent visits and the strong winds meant trying again for Barn Owl was likely to prove pointless, even if I could handle two very early starts in a row. That more or less left Riverside Nature Park as my only real option, with this year's bogey bird, Pintail or perhaps an Iceland Gull as my only potential (albeit very slim) prospects. I was far from optimistic, but needs must....
It was just after 0945 when I headed out. A Blue Tit calling from a bush around the corner was a bit of a surprise though the Herring Gull, Feral Pigeon and Magpie found next weren't. A female Pied Wagtail ran across the road as I passed Tannadice Park. Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon and Starling were noted between the football stadiums. A Grey Wagtail was heard at the start of Byron Street and a Goldfinch flew over. Further on along the same road, Great Tit and Dunnock were added. House Sparrow and Robin were in the bushes at the far end of Byron Street and Blackbird and Goldcrest were found near the top of Loons Road. Black Headed Gulls and Common Gulls were on the Lochee Park football pitches and as I cut through Balgay Cemetery, a Sparrowhawk circled overhead before using the wind to take it eastwards with zero effort required, bar a dip of the wings. Jackdaws and Chaffinch were at the Arboretum behind Ninewells though the community garden feeders were empty meaning there was nothing to be gained from stopping there. A Grey Squirrel was in below the trees near Tom McDonald Avenue. My final addition before reaching the Nature Park was a Wren heard behind the Carseview Centre.
I reached the park just after 1100. There was a small flock of Goldfinches around in the trees and a Grey Wagtail was heard from down by the burn, but it went unseen. A pair of Pink Footed Geese overflew and there were a few Herring Gulls of various ages, down on the pipe. Teal, Mallard, Carrion Crow, Common Gull, Black Headed Gull, Redshank, Curlew and Dunlin were down in the bay. A Robin showed briefly near the hide and a pair of Jackdaws flew in from the direction of the hospital. I spent a bit of time checking the waders in the bay but the light glaring off both the wet mud and the water proved tricky for picking anything out using either the binoculars or the camera. Chaffinch, Feral Pigeon and Blackbird were noted as I set off to check the Lochan. A Woodpigeon and Magpie were seen at the Lochan while a Wren called from somewhere among the vegetation. A few Mallard and Teal were roosting across the other side, and a few more were on the water along with a Black Headed Gull.
I checked the bushes further to the east using the thermal imager to look for Woodcock but failed to find anything other than a couple of Rabbits. Another brief stop at the Lochan added a trio of Moorhens before I wandered back towards the bay. A Kestrel was seen hovering over the bushes by the bay before it flew off eastwards, wind assisted. The conditions meant that there was very little to be seen and despite checking the bushes around the rest of the park, I only managed to add a single Redwing as I headed for the exit. The Redwing took my total at the park to a very disappointing 25 species. The walk back home from the park was a very weary one and if there had been a bus due at any of the stops to shorten the journey, I would happily have jumped aboard. My total number of species found outside the park was 22 for a combined total of just 32 species which wasn't a great way to round off this year's birding efforts.
My list had been stalled at 149 for over a month, however I had been pondering on whether or not to count the flock of prosepctive Golden Plover I saw and photographed from the Nature Park back in September. I posted the photos online a couple of times and the suggested IDs were all Golden Plover, bar a couple of Jackdaw suggestions. The birds were most definitely waders and despite not having mentioned Golden Plover those who had answered had more or less all came to the same conclusion as I had. As a result I'm going to count them, which means they were actually number 144 for the year list and means I did actually manage to reach my target figure after all, though it has proved to be far harder than expected, especially compared to 2023's 155 (& Siberian Chiffchaff), though it was very much a 'freak' year with some odd happenings. Which will 2025 be?
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| Goldfinch |
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Pink Footed Goose
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Pink Footed Goose
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Herring Gull
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Herring Gull, Black Headed Gull & Common Gull
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| Curlew |
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Grey Heron & Redshank
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| Jackdaw |
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| Jackdaw |
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| Teal |
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| Mallard |
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Black Headed Gull
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| Kestrel |
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| Kestrel |
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| Redshank |
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| Redshank |
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| Redwing |
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Treecreeper roost site (Balgay Cemetery)
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Birds (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Black Headed Gull, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Magpie, Pied Wagtail, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Mammals (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Grey Squirrel.
Birds (at Riverside Nature Park) - Black Headed Gull, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common
Gull, Dunlin, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Herring
Gull, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Pink Footed Goose, Redshank, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Teal, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Mammals (at Riverside Nature Park) - Rabbit.
