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| White-rumped Sandpiper, Dunlin, Teal & Redshank |
Although I had successfully twitched the White-rumped Sandpiper on Saturday in Invergowrie Bay, there was one rather obvious problem. I wasn't in Dundee, nor was the bird, when I managed to see it so I couldn't actually count it for my #2025Dundee150 list. However, with high tide around noon on Sunday, it was likely the bird would show around mid-morning as the tide came in. Asssuming of course, that it hadn't decided to head off elsewhere overnight. I decided on an early start to maximise my chances of catching up with the bird from within Riverside Nature Park. Having managed to see the correct bird this time, I at least had a better idea of what I was looking for, though I suspected there might be a few more birders looking anyway.
I was out the door just before 0705 for the hour's walk to Riverside Nature Park. Herring Gull, Feral Pigeon, Robin, House Sparrow, Wren, Dunnock, Magpie, Jackdaw, Starling, Carrion Crow and Blue Tit got the morning's birding underway as I wandered up past the football grounds in the pre-dawn light. Blackbird, Goldfinch and Coal Tit were found on Byron Street with Long-tailed Tit, Goldcrest, the day's first Pink-footed Geese and Redwing noted further on along the same street. Grey Wagtail and Woodpigeon were added as I headed down Kilberry Street due to an incident on Loons Road. Black-headed Gull and Common Gull were at the Lochee Park football pitches and I was able to find Great Tit, Stock Dove and Chaffinch in the Cemetery.
A Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Crossbill were welcome additions as I walked out along Riverside Avenue and a Song Thrush rounded off the morning list for 'outwith the park'. It was just after 0805 as I entered Riverside Nature Park. Although I knew I likely had some time to play with before the tide brought the majority of waders and gulls etc into the bay, I still didn't particularly want to spend too much time away from that end of the park. Robin, Wren, Blackbird, Pink-footed Geese, Chaffinch, Redwing, Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Fieldfare and a few Rabbits were noted as I headed along towards the Lochan where Mallard was the sole new bird for the day. A Song Thrush was seen in flight as I continued on to check the bay.
The tide was slightly further in than expected and there was a large raft of Pink-footed Geese on the water beyond the pipe, but still just within the bay. I set up the scope and managed to pick out Redshank, Dunlin, Teal, 4 Wigeon, Black-tailed Godwit, Black-headed Gull, Curlew and Bar-tailed Godwit. Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Redwings and Fieldfares were on the move overhead, though some did drop in to the bushes nearby before continuing on westwards again shortly after. More scanning got me a Great Black-backed Gull and 2 Mute Swans. I picked up a 'different' call - oa call that I half-recognised as one I'd been trying to memorise. I looked up to see the solitary bird passing overhead though I struggled to find it with the camera. It was a Brambling, a new bird for my #2025Dundee150 list (number 145) and a very welcome bonus bird for the day.
A few minutes later I spotted Keith and 3 others (Graham, Davie and Daphne) a bit further along so I headed along to join them, figuring that 5 pairs of eyes/binoculars etc stood a better chance than just 1 of finding the White-rumped Sandpiper. I found a Lesser Black-backed Gull and a distant Snipe then spotted an overflying Raven, while Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Grey Heron, Knot and Spotted Redshank were also seen. Keith managed to find the White-rumped Sandpiper a few times but it was almost impossible to give eailsy understood directions to get onto the bird, though I think I managed to see it at least once at this point. Thankfully, as the tide came in further we relocated and managed to get much better views of the White-rumped Sandpiper amongst the other waders down in front of the hide, though in most of my photos it was rather difficult to pick out from the surrounding Dunlin. Thankfully, I did get a few photos where the bird was rather more obvious, and much closer than it had been the previous day too.
Lainy and Ian Ford had also joined us by this time and we all managed to see the White-rumped Sandpiper and when the others headed off, Lainy and I also managed some nice views of the lingering Spotted Redshank. Other birds noted in the bay were Cormorant, Jackdaw, Common Gull, Herring Gull and 2 Turnstones while in the trees and bushes were Blue Tit, Dunnock, Long-tailed Tit, Siskin and Redpoll. Pied Wagtail, Starling and Feral Pigeon were all seen in flight before Lainy and I made a circuit of the park to see what else we could find. We had decent views of a Sparrowhawk and a Coal Tit which took my list at the park to 49 species, including 2 new birds for my #2025Dundee150 list (in bold), before we decided to call it a day.
Lainy was going to drop me off at home but when we reached the car, Lainy's husband Adam phoned to let her know a Waxwing had been reported a bit earlier, at Booker Cash and Carry's car park up by the Kingsway, so naturally we changed our plans to try for that instead. We met Adam there but unfortunately there was no sign of the reported Waxwing. A Sparrowhawk put in an appearance and there were a few Chaffinches, Robins and Blackbirds in amongst the berries. We did find a female/young Blackcap and over the next couple of hours of looking we also added Greenfinch, Pied Wagtail and Mistle Thrush before finally giving up around 1400. I added a flock of Fieldfares high overhead on the walk home taking my 'outwith the park' list for the day to 34 for a combined total of 58 species. Despite missing out on the Waxwing, it had been a very decent day's birding.
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| Song Thrush |
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| Pink-footed Goose |
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| Teal |
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| Dunlin |
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| Wigeon |
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| Fieldfare |
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| Redwing & Fieldfare |
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| Black-tailed Godwit |
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| Redshank & Spotted Redshank |
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| Snipe |
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| Starling |
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| Skylark |
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| Meadow Pipit |
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| Raven |
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| White-rumped Sandpiper, Teal, Dunlin & Redshank |
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| Spotted Redshank, Redshank, Teal |
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| Spotted Redshank, Redshank, Teal, Mallard & Black-tailed Godwit |
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| Spotted Redshank, Redshank & Black-tailed Godwit |
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| Robin |
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| Blackcap |
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| Blackcap |
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| Starling |
Birds (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Black-headed Gull, Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Crossbill, Dunnock, Fieldfare, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mistle Thrush, Pied Wagtail, Pink-footed Goose, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Birds (from Riverside Nature Park) - Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-headed Gull, Black-tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Brambling, Carrion Crow,
Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Fieldfare,
Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Black-backed Gull, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Knot, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Long-tailed Tit,
Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mute Swan, Pied Wagtail, Pink-footed Goose, Raven, Redpoll, Redshank, Redwing, Robin,
Feral Pigeon, Siskin, Skylark, Snipe, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Spotted Redshank, Starling, Teal, Turnstone, White-rumped Sandpiper, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Mammals (from Riverside Nature Park) - Rabbit.
