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| Red-breasted Merganser (with Eel?) |
On the 7th of February, it was another wet Saturday but there appeared to be something resembling a bit of respite from around late morning with the rain forecast to peter out from about that time. My plan was to head out, have a look at City Quay then walk out to Broughty Ferry. With Slavonian Grebes still showing up in various places mostly in Fife, I was hoping I might be able to find one either at City Quay or out on the Tay. I headed out at 1110 but hadn't gone too far before it started to rain a little, which didn't particularly bode well.
Herring Gull, Magpie and Carrion Crow were all I managed to see, or even hear, before I reached City Quay just before 1130. Black-headed Gull, Cormorant, House Sparrow and Feral Pigeon were all noted as the rain got heavier. I managed to find a few Red-breasted Mergansers as well as both Grey and Pied Wagtails. Starling, Robin and an unexpected Song Thrush were spotted as I headed towards the outer part of the quay and the broken lock gates. There was no sign of the Kingfisher but I did manage to add Oystercatcher and while debating whether or not to head home, stick with my original plan of walking into the easterly wind to Broughty Ferry or perhaps heading instead to Riverside Nature Park, I refound the Guillemot near the footbridge.
I decided to head west along the river, rather than into the rain. The rain was forecast to go off at some point, but showed no signs of doing so, and after a few minutes walking, I reconsidered heading home. However, with the slim possibility of a Greenshank at Riverside Nature Park, I continued on out along the river. Blackbird ended up being my only other sighting (by the roadbridge) on the walk out to the Nature Park. I reached the park just before 1320. Thankfully, by then it wasn't raining quite as heavily. Herring Gull, Robin, Wren, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Siskin, Blackbird, Long-tailed Tit, Buzzard and Oystercatcher made for a slightly busier first 10 minutes at the park than I had been expecting.
More wandering found Jackdaw, Greenfinch, Great Tit, Pied Wagtail, Woodpigeon and a slightly surprising Mistle Thrush before I checked out the birds in the bay. There were plenty of Redshanks and Dunlin, as well as 4 Shelduck, Mallard, Teal, Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Godwits, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Cormorant, Curlew and Grey Heron. I managed to add a small group of Redwing and a Skylark was heard from somewhere high overhead but went unseen. There was a small flock of Greylag Geese half-hidden in the reeds over by the railway station. Having failed to see any sign of the hoped for Greenshank I did a bit more wandering round the park in search of something decent.
Blue Tit and Feral Pigeon were seen near the hide, before I picked up a distant Peregrine heading east away from the park. Chaffinch, Sparrowhawk, Coal Tit and 3 individual Pheasants (2 females and a male) rounded off things at the park taking my total there to 39 species. My walk home got me a handful of additional species with Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Goldcrest, Woodpigeon and Dunnock taking the total outwith the park to 21 species for a combined total for the day of 46 species, which considering just how unhelpful the weather had been, wasn't too bad. I was however rather glad to get home.
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| Cormorant |
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| Grey Wagtail |
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| Red-breasted Merganser |
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| Guillemot |
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| Cormorant |
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| Red-breasted Merganser |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Black-headed Gull |
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| Blackbird |
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| Song Thrush |
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| Carrion Crow |
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| Great Tit |
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| Mistle Thrush |
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| Mistle Thrush |
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| Bar-tailed Godwit |
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| Redwing |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Bar-tailed Godwit |
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| Shelduck & Redshank |
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| Dunlin |
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| Greylag Goose |
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| Dunlin, Redshank & Oystercatcher |
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| Peregrine |
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| Redshank & Dunlin |
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| Coal Tit |
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| Buzzard |
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| Pheasant |
Birds (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Black-headed Gull, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Cormorant, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Great Tit, Grey Wagtail, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Red-breasted Merganser, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Song Thrush, Starling, Woodpigeon.
Birds (at Riverside Nature Park) - Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-headed Gull, Black-tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Shelduck, Siskin, Skylark, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Teal, Woodpigeon, Wren.
