1498 : Out For Out's Sake (4/2/26)

Guillemot

On Wednesday the 4th of February, I was stuck at home, and also feeling a bit sick. There seemed to be Slavonian Grebes being reported from a variety of places in Fife. The thought that there might be one in City Quay niggled at the back of my mind. Was it worthwhile me taking a look? It was still wet and windy but there did appear to be a bit of a potential window of opportunity, though it was already around 1430 in the afternoon. If I was going to have a look I would have to make my mind up before I simply ran out of time (and daylight, such as it was on a very grey day). I decided to go for it. I knew the likelihood of there being a Slavonian Grebe in City Quay was fairly slim but given the weather there was the possibility of being something taking shelter there.

It was 1505 before I made it out the door. I still wasn't feeling particularly great and I wasn't entirely convinced that the weather window would remain open very long. Herring Gull, Woodpigeon and Feral Pigeon were seen in my street. The only other bird seen on my walk down to City Quay was a Carrion Crow. Things appeared rather quiet around the water park area of the quay with only a couple of Herring Gulls stood on the pontoons. Round by the footbridge I almost missed a bird that was actually sheltering from the conditions out at sea, and the river. A Guillemot - new for the year, and a very welcome find. A female Red-breasted Merganser could be seen further to the east. 

House Sparrow and Robin were spotted by the flats, and there were a few Cormorants roosting by the broken wooden jetty. A couple of Blue Tits were working their way through the Buddleia bushes along the edge of the 'dry dock', but there was no sign of the Kingfisher. A pair of Red-breasted Mergansers were in the outer part of the quay. A Great Black-backed Gull was stood on the concrete block at Submarine Rock and I had a fleeting glimpse of a Rock Pipit as it dropped down off the harbour wall and out of sight. A Black-headed Gull flew past and there were a couple of Starlings calling from the edge of the roofs of some of the smaller buildings as I headed back to the inner quay again after checking the river.

A pair of Oystercatchers were huddled up on the broken wooden jetty. It had started to rain quiet heavily by this time so I headed homewards after getting a few more photos of the Guillemot. The walk home added Pied Wagtail, Magpie, Jackdaw, Goldfinch and a Grey Wagtail closer to home. These took my list for the short wander to just 20 species, though the 1 new species (in bold) had meant that it wasn't a wasted journey, and maybe a Slavonian Grebe might yet seek shelter in the quay as there appears to be no end in sight for this extended spell of uncharacteristically wet and windy winter weather we are having in 2026. The longer this weather lasts, the harder it is proving to get motivated to actually go out into it, though being stuck at home is no fun either. Once again, the conditions and overall lack of variety meant I didn't take too many photos.

Guillemot
Oystercatcher
Red-breasted Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Great Black-backed Gull
Starling
Cormorant
Guillemot
Guillemot
Guillemot
Guillemot
Guillemot
Guillemot
Herring Gull
Herring Gull

Birds - Black-headed Gull, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Cormorant, Goldfinch, Great Black-backed Gull, Grey Wagtail, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Magpie, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Red-breasted Merganser, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Starling, Woodpigeon. 

1497 : Century Searching (28/1/26)

Red-breasted Merganser

With just 1 more bird needed to reach 100 species within January, leaving me 'only' 50 more to reach my target figure in the remaining 11 months of the year, and with a solitary day of calm and dry conditions forecast for one of my 2 remaining available birding days, I just had to decide where to go. There was a Greenshank showing from time to time at Riverside Nature Park. I still hadn't managed to get Jack Snipe, but Broughty Ferry and Balmossie seemed to offer the best chance of getting 'something', even if there were no 'firm' target species (unless the elusive Glaucous Gull was still around). Even if I didn't manage to get anything new, I would still have the last day of the month - the next Saturday to try again. On top of that, just being out in relatively 'normal' conditions felt like it would be a very welcome boost. Even better if the sun actually put in an appearance, or it stayed completely dry.

With decent conditions forecast, it wasn't too hard to get up and out although I headed out a little later than I had hoped to, at 0805. Herring Gull, Feral Pigeon, Black-headed Gull, Pied Wagtail, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw and Magpie got the day's list underway. Woodpigeon, Robin, Starling, Blackbird and Blue Tit were added between the Dura Street car park and the western gate at Baxter Park. The park added Song Thrush, Common Gull and Wren with Great Tit noted on Bingham Terrace. I chose to cut through Eastern Cemetery just in case the Ring-necked Parakeet was around. It didn't appear to be but Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Coal Tit, Goldcrest and Grey Squirrel did provide some variety. House Sparrows and overflying Oystercatchers were spotted at Balgavies Avenue. Things proved quiet between there and the Stannergate however. 

With conditions rather calm on the river, I was able to pick out a flock of Red-breasted Mergansers off the end of the docks. A few Turnstones and Oystercatchers were by the water's edge. An adult Kittiwake in the 'bay' was nice to see. A young Mute Swan was seen in flight as I headed out along the river. I suspect it may have been the same young bird I'd seen previously at City Quay. The day's first Cormorants provided the only other addition on what was a fairly quiet walk out to Douglas Terrace, though I did find a Redshank on the shore by the lifeboat jetty. A skein of Pink-footed Geese heading over northwards, but despite better light there was no hidden Barnacle Geese in this particular group. A Rock Pipit was at the castle. I scanned from beyond the castle and despite the reasonably decent viewing conditions, birds seemed to be rather few and far between. 

I picked up a fast-flying duck and watched it drop in off the beach a bit to the east, landing close to a Shag. It was a drake Long-tailed Duck but getting photos among the waves proved difficult, largely as a result of the distance. As is so often the case with Long-tailed Duck sightings off Broughty Ferry, the bird took off again after a minute or so. Thankfully, I had been viewing it through the camera when it did so, which meant I was able to get flight shots too. Mission accomplished - species number 100 and within the first calendar month. I continued on towards Balmossie, enjoying the weather conditions, adding a Collared Dove and a few offshore Wigeon on the way. The flock of Linnets were still flitting around near the brick shelter and when I stopped to photograph them, I was also able to add a few Bar-tailed Godwits to the list as well, as they flew low upriver. 

At Balmossie, I was able to add a few more species - Goldeneye, Great Black-backed Gull, Eider, Ringed Plover and Curlew. I spent a fair bit of time scanning out over the birds on the shore and also had a few short chats to interested passers-by, including Mary, who I had wandered back towards the castle with the previous week. I stopped off at the harbour by the castle, where a young Grey Seal pup was hauled out. Stephen Neish, who I haven't seen for a while, was taking photos and we had a bit of a chat before the SSPCA turned up to check on the seal (which had looked quite active - I suspect it was probably just hungry and tired due to continuous rough weather and its relative inexperience). Things were very quiet overall on my walk homewards, as they often are. A Buzzard was seen in Eastern Cemetery and Swannie Ponds got me a selection of the 'usuals' - Mallard, Goosander, Greenfinch, Long-tailed Tit, Coot, Moorhen, Grey Heron and Tufted Duck, as well as the drake Shoveler taking my total to the day's birding to 52 species of birds, including my 100th species for Dundee this year (in bold), and 2 of mammals. Unfortunately, the nice weather chose not to stick around, once again.

Kittiwake
Red-breasted Merganser
Mute Swan
Cormorant
Cormorant
Pink-footed Goose
Redshank
Turnstone
Pied Wagtail
Rock Pipit
Long-tailed Duck
Long-tailed Duck
Pink-footed Goose
Shag
Linnet
Bar-tailed Godwit
Herring Gull
Goldeneye
Wigeon
Ringed Plover
Grey Seal
Red-breasted Merganser
Grey Seal
Redshank
Carrion Crow & Buzzard
Goldfinch
Goosander
Greenfinch
Shoveler
Grey Heron

Birds - Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-headed Gull, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Eider, Goldcrest, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black-backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kittiwake, Linnet, Long-tailed Duck, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Pink-footed Goose, Red-breasted Merganser, Redshank, Ringed Plover, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Shag, Shoveler, Song Thrush, Starling, Tufted Duck, Turnstone, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren.

Mammals - Grey Seal, Grey Squirrel. 

1496 : Raining Yet Again (25/1/26)

Kingfisher

With my running total for my #2026Dundee150 edging ever closer to 100 and there being a slight chance of actually reaching that number before the end of January, I knew I had to make the effort to get out somewhere on Sunday the 25th of January. Two of the birds I had yet to catch up with were Water Rail and Jack Snipe. Neither of these are particularly easy to see though it was safe to say, neither of them were very likely to be seen from my living room window. So, once again, despite the wet and windy weather I chose to head out for a look. Expectation levels were exceedingly low, but taking the thermal imager with me would at least give me a bit more of a chance than relying on just my eyes/binoculars, for such skulking birds.

I headed out at 1040. The weather was poor, as it has been for the majority of this year so far. Herring Gull, Feral Pigeon, Magpie, Woodpigeon, Starling, House Sparrow and Jackdaw were all noted as I made my way towards Caird Park. The football pitches off Graham Street held a total of 38 Curlews as well as a few Carrion Crows, Black-headed Gulls and Woodpigeons. A Blue Tit was heard from the gardens on the opposite side of the road. Continuing down into Caird Park, I found Wren, Siskin, Chaffinch and Treecreeper before checking the boggy, reedy area by the Gelly Burn for the possibility of Jack Snipe. Unsurprisingly there were no birds at all to be found there.

What was a surprise though was that I finally managed to see the Kingfisher this time, though it flew off to the lower pond after I took a couple of rather hasty record shots. Moorhen, Grey Heron and Mallard were also seen at the ponds. Redwing and Great Tit were in the trees nearby. I had a look at the graveyard and then the area to the north, where the amount of rubbish piled up at the bottom end has now grown significantly. With the thermal imager I did manage to find around 4 or 5 Roe Deer, sleeping mostly, and was able to let them think I was unaware of them while still giving them a wide berth, so as not to disturb them. As I cut through the conifers to get to the road, I heard a Crossbill calling, but was unable to see anything once I was back out into the open.

The bridge at Trottick Ponds was still fenced off so I had to go into the site through the Trottick Mains cottages. Before I did so, I was able to see Tufted Ducks, Common Gulls and Mute Swans on the ponds from the raised viewpoint offered by the old road. As I headed in through the cottages, a small flock of around half a dozen Crossbills overflew, landing in the trees at the bottom end of Caird Park. The light was abysmal but I took a few photos anyway (so there was at least something to add to the end of this blog-post!). Needless to say, I drew a blank on Water Rail and Jack Snipe around the ponds, though there could well have been some of each there, well hidden and silent in the thick cover.

I headed up through Kirkton with Ardler Pond my next destination. Pied Wagtail and Goldcrest were both heard but not seen on the way. There was a Goosander on the water at the pond which was relatively unusual (as far as I'm aware) though there are plenty just up the road at Clatto. Dunnock was also seen here along with the usual House Sparrows and a Moorhens. I did manage a one second view of a Water Rail in customary sprinting mode across a small open area, giving me my 99th species for 2026, despite having failed to either hear one, or pick one up with the thermal imager, with all the glowing blobs turning out to be smaller birds feeding among the reeds. 

Word had come through of a Brambling having been seen at the feeders at Campy Growers. Although I had already seen a Brambling this year, a photo would be good to get. I pondered the question 'is the detour to get one worth the extra effort and distance?'. The rain was also getting a bit more persistent. After a short argument with myself about the pros and cons, I decided I might as well have a look given that I wasn't too far away. Ian Ford and Kate Treharne had also both been trying to get me to pop in for a look at the site over the past year or so, but as Camperdown Park is generally not on my radar, I had yet to do so. Mistle Thrush was my only addition on the rather wet walk to Campy Growers.

When I got there, Lainy and Adam were already there, chatting to Kate. The bird had been coming in sporadically and feeding below the feeders at the gate. The low light and scattered vegetation below the feeders looked like they might make it tricky to get photos, particularly if the bird chose not to linger too long. Lainy and I found a nearby spot to watch the feeders and waited. Coal Tit, Robin, Nuthatch and Great Spotted Woodpecker (as well as the usual smaller feeder-favouring birds) kept us occupied while we waited. Eventually the Brambling showed up but as expected, getting a clear photo proved tricky, and I only had a few out of focus pics to show for the wait. We waited longer and I managed to get a couple of in focus shots on one of the bird's next two short visits, though neither showed the front part of the head.

Blackbird, Goldfinch, and the raptor duo of Buzzard and Sparrowhawk (a male gave us a close view as it swept past the feeders, and a probable female showed up while the Buzzard was circling) gave us a few more species before we called it a day around 1440. I was spared the walk home, thanks again to the generosity of Adam and Lainy who gave me a very welcome lift home. My total for the day was only 40 species but it was a fairly eclectic mix with some pretty good birds (for Dundee) including a year-tick (in bold), as well as Kingfisher, Crossbill, Brambling and Nuthatch. I have definitely had worse days, but I've also definitely had drier days too. (I didn't take very many photos and the rather poor selection here are the best of those that I did).

Kingfisher
Moorhen
Crossbill
Crossbill
Siskin
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Brambling
Blue Tit & Coal Tit
Coal Tit
Buzzard
Buzzard
Buzzard
Buzzard
Sparrowhawk

Sparrowhawk

Birds - Black-headed Gull, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Brambling, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Crossbill, Curlew, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kingfisher, Magpie, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Nuthatch, Pied Wagtail, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Siskin, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Treecreeper, Tufted Duck, Water Rail, Woodpigeon, Wren.

Mammals - Roe Deer.