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| Buzzard |
Mark had found Curlew Sandpipers at Guardbridge on Thursday while I was at work. Curlew Sandpiper is usually the easiest of the 'passage waders' to get at Riverside Nature Park (though numbers vary widely - some years we get low single figures, some years we get double figures, as does the timeframe - from a couple of random days to the best part of 2 months or so). This meant that getting Curlew Sandpiper for my #2026Dundee150 list was now a possibility. Both Thursday and Friday also saw a mix of migrant passerines show up on the Fife and Lothian coasts, though with far less variety in Angus. I headed to the Law on Friday morning but found hardly any birds at all. With wet weather on the cards and still feeling the frustrations from earlier in the week (and a late night) I headed home rather than persevering, or continuing on to Riverside Nature Park. I would instead try the Nature Park on Saturday for both migrant passerines and Curlew Sandpipers.
I wanted to be at the park as early as possible to give me the best chance of finding some migrants that had either dropped in overnight, or had arrived on Friday and roosted in the park. As high tide was around 0400, I decided not to take my scope with me as I expected the tide to be well out when I got to the park, and I would be carrying needless additional weight. I headed out at 0615, shortly after sunrise. First onto the list were Feral Pigeon, Herring Gull, Starling, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Carrion Crow, Goldfinch, Woodpigeon, Magpie and Jackdaw. Things slowed down a little after that initial burst of species. The first sign of ongoing migration was hearing a Meadow Pipit. Dunnock, Robin and Coal Tit were next onto the list. House Sparrow and Blue Tit were noted before I reached Lochee Park.
There were only a few gulls on the football pitches, one of which was a Common Gull with the others being Herring Gulls. A Nuthatch was calling loudly from the hill. Great Tit, Goldcrest, Wren and Chaffinch were found as I cut through the Cemetery. Down on Riverside Avenue, I was able to add the day's first Rabbits and a Chiffchaff was heard as I neared the park's eastern entrance. It was still only 0715. Robin, Magpie, Blue Tit, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Herring Gull, Chiffchaff, Swallow, Greenfinch and Long-tailed Tit were all found as I checked the eastern end of the park. Curlew and Dunnock were next onto the list along with Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Feral Pigeon and Rabbit. As I headed into the top half of the park, I noted Robin and Stock Dove. Moorhen was found at the Lochan and a Lesser Black-backed Gull overflew, with Meadow Pipit and Grey Wagtail a minute or so later indicating that there were some birds moving through.
Whitethroat, Blackcap, Buzzard and Coal Tit were seen as I headed up for a look from the raised banking. Just as I got there, a message came through from Mark to say there were still at least 2 juvenile Curlew Sandpipers down in the bay. I realised that Mark would be along by the picnic tables and hurried in that direction. Mark managed to refind the birds with his scope and let me see them, giving me a wanted addition to my #2026Dundee150 list. Also down in the bay were Teal, Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Dunlin, Oystercatcher, Bar-tailed Godwit, Sandwich Tern, Black-headed Gull, Mallard, Grey Heron, Common Gull, Cormorant and an Osprey on the pipe tucking into a fish, with a Carrion Crow loitering nearby, very much with intent. Another Osprey also showed up soon after, hunting out over the river. Tree Pipit and Common Sandpiper were both heard and a Little Egret was seen before we headed round for a look in the 'bowl'. A flock of Tree Sparrows were a bit of a surprise. There was plenty of activity in the bushes in the bowl with Blackcaps very much in evidence.
Mark then found a Garden Warbler and a Skylark overflew. A Red Admiral butterfly was on one of the Buddleia bushes. Blackbird, Wren and Willow Warbler were also seen. Mark headed off and I continued to search the bushes. As I was about to leave, Keith arrived and I spent a bit more time checking the bushes again, before he too headed off. A Siskin overflew before things went rather quiet for an hour as I checked the rest of the top half of the park. Rook and a Speckled Wood butterfly were seen. I noticed a bird in the lone Willow tree at the northern end of the raised banking which I thought was a Spotted Flycatcher. With the binoculars it did appear to be and I raised the camera to get a few photos. As I hit the shutter button a second bird showed up and chased the first bird. I checked one of the photos and saw a Blackcap, so thought I must've been mistaken. Had I checked another photo I would have seen that the original bird was indeed a Spotted Flycatcher.
I heard a Pheasant calling as I wandered round past the picnic benches. At the bend I was surprised to see a patrolling dragonfly. I almost wrote it off as a Common Darter, as it didn't seem particularly large. However, it refused to settle and as it passed me I managed to glimpse the brown and pale blue markings of a Hawker species. It certainly didn't appear anything like as large as the one Common Hawker I'd seen at the park a couple of years ago, which was immediately obviously not a Common Darter. I tried to get photos and took a phone video in the hope that I might get something useable to settle the ID. I managed one slightly blurry photo before the insect vanished. Checking the respective sizes of the Hawker species and Common Darter on a Dragonfly app on my phone, it looked like Migrant Hawker was the only real possibility based on the apparent size.
There were around 5 or 6 Common Darters around by the Lochan which refreshed my point of reference and confirmed my impression that the mystery dragonfly wasn't all that much bigger. As it happened I refound it patrolling the path northwest of the car park a bit higher than earlier, but again, managed to lose sight of it before being able to catch it with the camera. Incidentally, Mark also found a mystery dragonfly the same day at Morton Lochs which proved to be a Migrant Hawker, but didn't get a photo of it until Monday. Posting my poor photo and video online did get comments saying it could be Migrant Hawker but Common Hawker couldn't be completely ruled out. For me, the apparent size alone ruled out Common Hawker. I'm counting it as such, but I doubt the record would be accepted. Jackdaw, Linnet and Great Tit were my final additions before I headed homewards taking my totals for the park visit to 55 species of birds (1 new for my #2026Dundee150 list - in bold), 2 of dragonflies, 2 of butterflies and 1 of mammals.
The walk home added another Speckled Wood butterfly (as well as a few unidentified Whites) plus House Martin and Long-tailed Tit. These took my 'outwith the park' list to 25 species of birds as well as 1 of butterflies and 1 of mammals, for a combined total of 60 species of birds, 2 of butterflies, 2 of dragonflies and 1 of mammals. The main highlight was the dragonfly, which if it was possible to get it confirmed, appears to be only the second record for Angus and Dundee. It was a bit too windy on my next visit to try to find it, but given how long the previous record lingered at Trottick Ponds, there is still a slight chance it might yet be refound. Fingers crossed. It was also good to get the Curlew Sandpipers onto the #2026Dundee150 list, even if they were a little distant.
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| Chaffinch & Chiffchaff |
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| Long-tailed Tit |
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| Buzzard |
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| Carrion Crow & Osprey |
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| Curlew Sandpiper & Dunlin |
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| Curlew Sandpiper & Dunlin |
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| Blackcap |
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| Blackcap |
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| Linnet |
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| Dunnock |
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| Buzzard |
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| Lapwing |
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| Spotted Flycatcher |
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| Blackcap |
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| Lapwing |
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| Whitethroat |
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| Greenfinch |
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| Migrant Hawker |
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| Tree Sparrow |
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| Speckled Wood |
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| Buzzard |
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| Buzzard |
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| Osprey |
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| Osprey |
Birds (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Blackbird, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Meadow Pipit, Nuthatch, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Starling, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Butterflies (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Speckled Wood.
Mammals (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Rabbit.
Birds (at Riverside Nature Park) - Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-headed Gull, Black-tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Cormorant, Curlew, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Dunnock, Garden Warbler, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Lapwing, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Linnet, Little Egret, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Redshank, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sandwich Tern, Siskin, Skylark, Spotted Flycatcher, Stock Dove, Swallow, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Butterflies (at Riverside Nature Park) - Red Admiral, Speckled Wood.
Dragonflies (at Riverside Nature Park) - Common Darter, Migrant Hawker.
Mammals (at Riverside Nature Park) - Rabbit.
