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| Sandwich Tern |
Although it was good to catch up with another Ruff at Riverside Nature Park on Wednesday the 6th of August, I had failed again to find the hoped-for Golden Plover. It was seen again on Friday the 8th while I was at work. My plan for the weekend had been to spend both Saturday and Sunday at Broughty Ferry scanning through the countless birds out on the river. With the Golden Plover now seemingly taunting me, I changed my plan for Saturday. Another spanner in the works was the weather forecast. Windy, from the west. Make that VERY windy. Trying to pick through waders, some distant, using a small-ish scope on a carbon-fibre tripod while being battered and buffeted by gale force winds is not really my idea of fun, but needs must...
I headed out at 0910 for the walk to Riverside Nature Park. It was already quite windy, with the forecast being that it would get even windier. Thankfully, it was forecast to stay (more or less) dry, which was a plus. Feral Pigeon, Collared Dove, Herring Gull, Pied Wagtail, Magpie, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Blue Tit and Woodpigeon were all noted between home and Dens Park stadium. Carrion Crow and House Sparrow on Byron Street, Wren and Robin on Loon's Road, a young Buzzard heard at Lochee Park while a couple of Swallows swept low over the football pitches and Great Tit, Coal Tit, Chaffinch and Goldcrest in Balgay Cemetery all kept things ticking over. A Greenfinch was heard as I headed along Perth Road towards the underpass.
I reached the Nature Park just before 1015. Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Herring Gull, Carrion Crow, Magpie and Blue Tit got things started around the eastern end, along with Meadow Brown and Large White butterflies in the shelter provided by Buzzard Wood. Chiffchaff, Whitethroat, Goldfinch, Long-tailed Tit, Chaffinch, Wren, Dunnock and Great Spotted Woodpecker were all in the trees and bushes behind Buzzard Wood. A flock of 8 Crossbills swept over low in the direction of the car park. A Robin was by the car park and a Red Admiral butterfly was just west of the top end of the car park. A Buzzard was seen to the north and a couple of Swallows were seen hawking for insects low over the lee side of the hill.
I found a Speckled Wood butterfly down the short path between the two halves of the park as I headed for the Lochan, along with a couple of Red Admiral. A House Martin was hawking over the field by the road. There were a few Moorhens at the Lochan but I failed to find anything else there. A couple of Sand Martins darted low westwards over the hill. Round at the bay, a quick look over the trees found Redshanks in the burn as well as Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black-headed Gull and Dunlin. More scanning from relatively sheltered spots added Cormorant and Lapwing. Heading up to the high point next to the picnic tables I was immediately into the full force of the wind howling in from the west. Within seconds, a flock of Redshanks flew in to land by the burn. With them was a bird that looked to have very little white on the upper surfaces. It had to be the Golden Plover this time, surely? Thankfully it was. Mission accomplished.
I spent the next 20 minutes or so trying to get photos of the plover, though the light wasn't particularly great. I also added Greenshank, Sandwich Tern, Oystercatcher and Mallard, as well as a flock of around 20 Crossbills, before I was joined by Mark. More scanning from behind whatever shelter we could find proved to be far more productive than expected. Common Sandpiper, Little Egret, Common Gull, Curlew, Grey Heron, Bar Tailed Godwit, Black Tailed Godwit and a pale small wader that proved to be another #2025Dundee150 tick for me, a Sanderling, and not just 1 Ruff, but 2 made for a very decent haul. A flyover Linnet was also added. We headed round to the hide as the amount of remaining mud decreased. Great Black-backed Gull, Jackdaw and Feral Pigeon were seen from there before Mark headed off. I wandered back for another look at the Lochan but failed to find anything other than Moorhens there until a Lesser Black-backed Gull landed on the water.
As I continued round from the Lochan, Mark messaged to say he was scanning the river from the shelter of the path up to the hill-top viewpoint and could see a number of 'Commic' (Common or Arctic) Terns from there. I headed round to join him again, to try to add a few more birds. Mark managed to get us both Kittiwake for our park lists (which might possibly be my 150th species from the park since June 2011). I decided to try to get better views of the terns out over the river from the relative shelter of the football pitches around a mile to the east. Mark kindly dropped me off and I spent around 45 minutes photographing the birds from there - Sandwich Terns, Black-headed Gulls, Kittiwakes, Common Terns and Cormorants though most were rather distant. Sand Martin and Goldfinch were also noted before I headed home. My totals for the day were 54 species of birds (27 outwith the park, 47 at the park) - including 2 new birds for my #2025Dundee150 list (in bold), as well as 4 of butterflies (all at the park). In particular, the haul of wader species seen in Invergowrie Bay was surprisingly high with 10 species noted there. Definitely one of those days that exceeds all expectations.
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| Large White |
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| Whitethroat |
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| Whitethroat |
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| Meadow Brown |
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| Speckled Wood |
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| Red Admiral |
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| Cormorant |
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| Golden Plover & Redshank |
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| Redshank & Golden Plover |
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| Crossbill |
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| Crossbill |
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| Common Sandpiper |
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| Golden Plover |
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| Golden Plover |
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| Greenshank, Redshank, Dunlin & Sanderling |
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| Sanderling, Dunlin & Redshank |
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| Greenshank & Redshank |
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| Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Dunlin & Black-headed Gull |
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| Goldfinch |
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| Sandwich Tern |
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| Black-headed Gull |
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| Black-headed Gull |
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| Lesser Black-backed Gull |
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| Lesser Black-backed Gull |
Birds (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Black-headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion
Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Tern, Cormorant, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Herring Gull, House
Sparrow, Kittiwake, Lesser Black-backed
Gull, Magpie, Pied Wagtail, Robin, Feral
Pigeon, Sand Martin, Sandwich Tern, Swallow, Woodpigeon,
Wren.
Birds
(at Riverside Nature Park) - Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-headed Gull, Black-tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch,
Chiffchaff, Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Common Tern, Cormorant, Crossbill, Curlew,
Dunlin, Dunnock, Golden Plover, Goldfinch, Great Black-backed Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Greenshank, Grey
Heron, Herring Gull, House Martin,
Jackdaw, Kittiwake, Lapwing, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Linnet, Little Egret, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie,
Mallard, Moorhen, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Ruff, Sand Martin, Sanderling, Sandwich Tern, Swallow, Whitethroat, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Butterflies
(at Riverside Nature Park) - Large White,
Meadow Brown, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood.
