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| Dipper |
Once again, I missed out on my midweek birding - though I did venture out to try to help out with another Eider rescue attempt down by the roadbridge and despite also having Friday off on annual leave I didn't actually venture out birding that day either. I decided I really needed to get out the following day, on Saturday the 15th of March. Although I had wandered out along the Dighty in the recent past, I hadn't bothered going all the way to Clearwater Park as I had originally intended to. Although doing so was unlikely to produce anything new for my #2025Dundee150 list, I wanted to give it a go regardless. As is often the case, especially this year, it was a slightly later than intended start to the day's proceedings....
I headed out just before 1010. A lone Wren sang loudly from just across the road. Blackbird, Herring Gull, Great Tit, Blue Tit, House Sparrow, Feral Pigeon, Starling, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch and Dunnock all made for a relatively busy first few minutes as I headed for Clepington Road and then on towards Swannie Ponds. At 'the Cleppie' both Magpie and Jackdaw were seen. Swannie Ponds was fairly quiet on the gull front but there were still Mallard, Tufted Duck, Goosander, Coot and Mute Swan around there. An unexpected Buzzard overflew before I headed down Pitkerro Road to walk out along the Dighty Burn. Things were relatively quiet as I wandered along from the Iceland supermarket towards Drumgeith Road, with only Robin, Song Thrush, Chiffchaff and Greenfinch noted on that particular stretch.
The first Dipper of the day was seen on the next section, just a little beyond where the path goes below the road and the bridge over the burn. There were Long Tailed Tits in the trees along the far bank. Just beyond the footbridge a bit further on, a pair of Grey Heron chased each other around. A Pied Wagtail flew past just before I found a butterfly - a Peacock, my second of the year so far. A Lesser Black Backed Gull was perched on the mobile phone mast across the other side of the burn. A Sparrowhawk was seen circling round beside some gulls in the vicinity of the wind turbines. A Rook overflew as I neared the main road. At the back of the West Pitkerro Industrial Estate I found a relatively easily crossing of the small burn just up from where it meets the Dighty, and managed to cross while thankfully staying completely dry.
I then crossed the grassy field towards the bridges at Clearwater Park. A Grey Wagtail and a pair of Dippers collecting nesting material were seen, and photographed, at the bridges. In the fields on the eastern side were a few Oystercatchers and a couple of Stock Doves. A Siskin was heard from one of the trees nearby. I wandered up past the stables to the cemetery. A Sparrowhawk flew past, out over the fields and a Kestrel was seen in the trees by the now rather sparsely vegetated area south of the cemetery site. A check of the cemetery itself proved to be fairly quiet though taking my time eventually produced a Mistle Thrush and a few Goldfinches. As I left the cemetery again I encountered a rather showy Tree Sparrow perched in a small tree which posed quite well for a minute or so. A Skylark ascended above the fields on the east side of the dirt track down to the crossroads.
I headed back along the dirt trail towards Drumsturdy Road, flushing a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly beside one of the large puddles as I neared the road. Rather than head home along the Dighty again, I decided to head out along the high road to Powrie Brae. I found a Goldcrest in the trees by the pond at Baldovie Toll and a Buzzard was seen off to the north. A 'Road Closed' sign by the golf course didn't deter me from continuing on into Angus. There was work being carried out along that stretch of road but I was able to get past with only a "be careful further on" from one of the workers. I turned left at the end of the road by Burnside of Duntrune and headed back to within Dundee's boundaries again. In the fields to the north of Middleton Farm a small flock of Linnets circled round before dropping back down into the crops.
A Meadow Pipit overflew as I walked by the first row of cottages where the road levelled off again. I added Collared Dove at the farm at the top of Powrie Brae. Down by the Black Watch Memorial the first Yellowhammer of the day was heard and I was able to photographmy second Small Tortoiseshell butterfly, of the day, and year. I contemplated continuing on to Trottick Ponds but having walked so far already I decided to just head home instead. I added Rabbit as I wandered up into Caird Park. There was the beginnings of a small travellers' camp and I drew some attention from one of their dogs - thankfully, it wasn't one of the more dangerous breeds, though it was still quite vociferous in its barking at me - and the owner didn't seem particularly interested in calling it back. I added Coal Tit while wandering up past the RPC, which took my list for the day to 46 species of bird, 2 of butterflies and 1 of mammal. Despite a lack of anything new for the #2025Dundee150 list it was another worthwhile wander, and the weather was actually quite pleasant too.
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| Buzzard |
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| Mallard |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Buzzard |
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| Buzzard & Grey Heron |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Grey Wagtail |
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| Sparrowhawk |
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| Sparrowhawk & Carrion Crow |
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| Carrion Crow and Sparrowhawk |
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| Dipper |
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| Sparrowhawk |
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| Sparrowhawk |
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| Kestrel |
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| Tree Sparrow |
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| Tree Sparrow |
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| Stock Dove |
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| Stock Dove |
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| Buzzard |
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| Buzzard |
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| Skylark |
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| Small Tortoiseshell |
Birds - Blackbird, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Coot, Dipper, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Siskin, Skylark, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Tree Sparrow, Tufted Duck, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
Butterflies - Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell.
Mammals - rabbit.
