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| Eider |
Despite a very poor weather forecast, I still wanted to get out birding on my mid-week day off. Broughty Ferry seemed to offer the best chance of finding something new for my #2025Dundee150 list but having remained in my bed a bit longer than intended, it looked a bit too far away to reach given the rapidly closing window of opportunity before the forecast rain was due to arrive. Lainy had indicated that she would also like to squeeze in some birding on Wednesday, so I messaged her to see if she fancied going somewhere. As it transpired, I wasn't the only one who had a lie-in rather than making an early start on what was a rather overcast and gloomy morning. She replied that she had a few things to do, but would be ready for around 1000. I said I would head out somewhere local and meet her once she was ready.
I made it outside just after 0915 finding the local Feral Pigeons and Herring Gulls resting on the roofs in my street. Goldfinch, Robin and Starling were noted on Dundonald Street, with Magpie, Grey Wagtail and Blue Tit being found further on as I headed for Baxter Park. Having found a Hawfinch elsewhere in Dundee on the same date last year, I decided to check the trees at the park, just in case. I wasn't expecting to find one, but if you don't check you definitely won't find one. I did find a Greenfinch with a few Goldfinches in a tree across the far side of the park, and a Pied Wagtail on the path. A small flock of Redwings flew over and Goldcrest and Long-tailed Tits were heard from the trees near Spring Grove, though there appeared to be no birds in the bushes at the grove itself. Blackbird and Wren were next as I wandered up towards Swannie Ponds.
A couple of Woodpigeons were feeding on the grass with a number of Black-headed Gulls and a skein of Pink-footed Geese passed overhead relatively low. Mallard, Coot, Moorhen, Tufted Duck and Mute Swan were seen at the top pond and a Grey Heron was at the lower pond but there was nothing out of the ordinary around. I crossed the road and headed along Loraine Road to check the tall trees at the end for Waxwings. Before I had gone too far, Lainy got in touch and I arranged to meet her on Clepington Road on the opposite side of the ponds. She arrived shortly afterwards and following a bit of discussion we decided to head for Balmossie, though not without checking the Rowan trees on the Kingsway for Waxwings. Unsurprisingly we drew a blank on these.
At Balmossie, a Collared Dove was perched atop a lamp post as we exited the car. Down by the shore we were able to pick out Bar-Tailed Godwits, Knot, Curlew, Dunlin, Redshank and Turnstone, as well as passing Little Egret, a few Great Black-backed Gulls, some Wigeon and a couple of Oystercatchers. A small flock of Linnets dropped into the 'weeds' behind us to feed on the seed-heads. A Red-throated Diver flew in and landed on the river. More scanning found several more of these birds dotted around, as well as a number of Eider. I was hoping for a Grey Plover or a Long-tailed Duck but didn't manage to find either. A distant Shag was spotted well out on the river as were a trio of Red-breated Mergansers and a single Goosander. A drake Goldeneye was also picked out before we headed along to the Broughty Castle area to see what else we could find from there.
Carrion Crow, Cormorant and Common Gull were noted near the castle but it had begun to rain by this time, which wasn't ideal. A pair of Rock Pipits were added to the morning's list as the rain got progressively heavier. A pair of drake Eiders close in offshore and a Black-headed Gull with a very pink flush to the underside and a limp showed nicely and a female Goldeneye whizzed past downriver before we decided to call it a day. On the way back from Broughty Ferry, we detoured up to Pitkerro Grove Cemetery but the incessant rain hampered our chances of seeing anything there, so home it was after just a couple of hours worth of birding. I ended the morning's birding with a rather surprising total of 49 species, though without Lainy's involvement, I suspect the actual total would have been a little more than half that number. Unsurprisingly I failed to add anything new to my #2025Dundee150 list, but it was still good to squeeze in a bit of birding on an otherwise rather dismal and dreich day.
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| Goldfinch |
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| Redwing |
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| Pink-footed Goose |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Collared Dove |
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| Red-throated Diver |
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| Bar-tailed Godwit & Knot |
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| Turnstone, Dunlin & Redshank |
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| Bar-tailed Godwit, Knot & Dunlin |
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| Linnet |
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| Little Egret |
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| Turnstone & Redshank |
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| Wigeon, Redshank & Turnstone |
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| Eider |
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| Black-headed Gull |
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| Rock Pipit |
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| Oystercatcher |
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| Cormorant |
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| Cormorant |
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| Redshank (& Oystercatcher) |
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| Goldeneye |
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| Cormorant |
Birds - Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-headed Gull, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Eider, Goldcrest, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black-backed Gull, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Knot, Linnet, Little Egret, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Pink-footed Goose, Red-breasted Merganser, Red-throated Diver, Redshank, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook, Shag, Starling, Tufted Duck, Turnstone, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren.
