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| Osprey |
For my midweek day off on April 22nd, I decided to make an early start and head for Riverside Nature Park in the hope of being able to add something to my #2026Dundee150 list. Most likely was one of the incoming warbler species, such as Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat or with a lot of luck, Lesser Whitethroat. The latter species has previously bred at Riverside Nature Park, though just a few individuals have passed through in Spring in recent years, though not even annually. Although I was hoping to be out for around 0600 or 0630 it was almost 0715 before I headed out the door for the walk to the park.
First on the day's list was Magpie, followed quickly by Blackbird, Blue Tit, Robin, House Sparrow, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Feral Pigeon and Herring Gull. Woodpigeon, Jackdaw and Starling were noted between the football grounds. Great Tit at Canning Street, Blackcap, Carrion Crow, Lesser Black-backed Gull and Chaffinch were found on Byron Street. I then cut up across the northwest 'corner' of the Law where Chiffchaff, Wren and Song Thrush were spotted. Bullfinch was added as I continued on down the west side Law Steps path with Goldcrest heard near the bottom.
Willow Warbler and Nuthatch were both heard at Balgay Park followed by a Greenfinch on Blackness Road. A Coal Tit was another heard-only bird at the top end of Farington Street. There were a few Rabbits by the steps down from the bridge over the railway at Riverside Drive/Avenue. I reached the eastern end of the Nature Park just before 0815. Great Tit, Blackbird, Chaffinch, Carrion Crow, Dunnock, Robin, Blackcap, Song Thrush, Willow Warbler, Jackdaw, Magpie, Greenfinch, Herring Gull and Skylark were quickly onto the day's park visit list. A Grey Heron and a few Moorhens were at the Lochan and a Reed Bunting was seen in the bushes nearby.
Blue Tit, Coal Tit, Long-tailed Tit and Feral Pigeon were in the path-side bushes on the walk along to the hide. I was able to pick out a few more species down in the bay - Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Gull, Knot, Mallard, Redshank, Shelduck and Black-headed Gull. I was joined by Keith though we failed to find anything else down on the mud. However, Goldcrest, Siskin, Woodpigeon, Chiffchaff, Wren, Sparrowhawk and Buzzard did put in appearances before we headed round to the raised banking for a look out over the wider bay and river expanse. A diving duck across the far side of the bay turned out be a relatively unexpected female Goldeneye. Goldfinches were heard from the bushes behind us. More scanning got us Teal, Curlew and Cormorant as well as a small group of Tufted Duck (another fairly uncommon visitor).
The first Osprey of the day flew in, circled a few times but didn't do any actual fishing. Stock Dove and Sand Martin were next onto the list. We picked up a few very distant Mute Swans and while scanning distantly we managed to pick out an obvious raptor, which was quickly joined by another. It soon became clear that despite the distance we were watching a pair of Marsh Harriers displaying, a new species for my #2026Dundee150 list, and one that I had missed out on last year. A third raptor appeared briefly but went unidentified (though Keith had a Red Kite in the same area the following day). A Whitethroat started singing giving me my second new bird for the year. A Swallow zipped past. I wandered back round to the car park with Keith, then out to check the end of the runway for Wheatear. A Pheasant was heard, and out on the airfield were a few Pied Wagtails, Skylarks, Jackdaws, Starlings, Woodpigeon and 2 Wheatear.
Back round at the bay, a drake Goosander was sleeping out on the pipe and a female of the same species was seen rather distantly a bit later too. The Osprey made a return visit and I picked out another very distant one perched on a fencepost a few miles away. There was a bit of commotion down in the bay around 20 minutes later and I managed to get onto the bird causing it. It was a Peregrine but as I tried to find it with the camera I lost sight of it. I did however manage to refind it, as it headed inland carrying whatever it had successfully caught. Only one other addition to the list was made before I left the park, a Rook. The walk back homewards failed to add a single bird to the list for the day so I finished the day's birding with a combined total of 58 species, of which 55 were found at the park and 26 were noted outwith. Two of the species (in bold) found at the park were new for the year, taking my total for my #2026Dundee150 list to 119, 5 ahead of the total at the same time last year, the same figure as 2024, and 12 ahead of 2023 - though 2023 ended up having the highest total (155).
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| Lesser Black-backed Gull |
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| Marsh Harrier |
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| Wheatear |
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| Wheatear |
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| Buzzard |
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| Herring Gull & Goosander |
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| Osprey |
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| Osprey & Herring Gull |
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| Osprey |
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| Osprey |
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| Osprey & Common Gull |
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| Osprey |
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| Osprey |
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| Osprey |
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| Curlew |
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| Peregrine |
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| Osprey |
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| Goldeneye |
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| Chaffinch |
Birds (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue
Tit, Bullfinch, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Herring Gull, House
Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Magpie, Nuthatch, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Song Thrush, Starling, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Mammals (outwith Riverside Nature Park) - Rabbit.
Birds
(at Riverside Nature Park) - Black-headed Gull, Blackbird, Blackcap,
Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Common Gull,
Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Tit, Greenfinch,
Grey Heron, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Knot, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Marsh Harrier, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Osprey, Peregrine, Pheasant, Pied
Wagtail, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sand Martin, Shelduck, Siskin, Skylark, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Teal, Tufted Duck, Wheatear, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Mammals (at Riverside Nature Park) - Rabbit.
