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| Brambling |
Once again, a fairly lengthy back-log of blog-posts and photo-editing have repeatedly pushed back my efforts to do a 'on-foot commute' round-up post. The last one of these was way back in mid-November, and since then we've had the dark mornings and afternoons of November, December and January, followed by a bit of daylight in February culminating in daylight at both ends of the working day by the end of the month, and an increase in species numbers as a result. March has seen the beginnings of Spring migration, with birds setting off northwards as well as those new arrivals here for the summer months. So all in all a fair bit of catching up to get through...
The remainder of November was mostly spent in darkness with only a tiny hint of daylight in which time to add a few birds. Unsurprisingly, Pink-footed Geese and Redwings made up the majority of the slightly unusual birds in that time though with a few Treecreepers found using the thermal imager. December was really more of the same with more Pinkies and Redwings, though a Wood Mouse was 'seen' withe the thermal imager on the 8th. Oystercatchers on the 11th as well as a Fox were a bit of a highlight, though 2 Cormorants overflying as I left work on the 12th was very unusual. Oystercatchers were noted again on the 15th and a Treecreeper was spotted on the 12th and 15th. A Buzzard on the 22nd was slightly unexpected. A calling Blackcap in the same area of Balgay Cemetery as I've heard one at a similar time of year, on the 30th was a nice way to round off the year.
Pink-footed Geese sightings started to dwindle as January got underway. A Grey Wagtail was found on the 5th. Much better was a Brambling which landed in a tree for a few seconds as I left work on the 8th - a welcome year-tick too - though I've seen a few more since then. I heard what I was fairly certain was a Blackcap a little later on my journey home. The following day I managed to find 2 calling Blackcaps around the same spot in Balgay Cemetery. Another welcome year-tick for my #2026Dundee150 list. Another Cormorant was seen the same day. The following week was relatively subdued with Oystercatcher, Siskin and Treecreeper the best I managed. January's predominantly wet and windy weather did make the walks to and from work even more disheartening than usual though sometimes the birds did raise the mood a little.
One of these times was when I took a slightly different route home on the 19th. As I wandered along Kinghorne Road along the front of the Law, a bird flew from one of the gardens and up into a tree by the allotments. It looked more grey-brown than a Sparrowhawk would do, as it flew through the light from a lamp-post, in the near-darkness of a gloomy, dreich January late afternoon. I crossed the road to try to get a better view and found a very owl shaped bird perched in the tree, with Wren, Chaffinch and Blackbird mobbing it. Another year-tick for me - a Tawny Owl, and for a change one that I didn't hear first before seeing it. I even managed some ropey iPhone video clips. On the subject of owls, I heard an odd call that I didn't recognise the following Monday. I suspect it could've been a Long-eared Owl but chose not to count it, despite it being near where I had a young LEO in 2020.
As the amount of daylight began to increase around the end of January, the gulls began to appear on the Lochee Park football pitches - both Black-headed and Common Gulls. A Buzzard was also noted on the 26th and a calling Tawny Owl was located with the thermal imager on the 29th. Another was in the same general area on the 2nd of February. Oystercatcher sightings started to increase with birds beginning to return to feeding and breeding sites along my route to work. Highlights of the 2nd week in February included Stock Dove, Buzzard and Redwing (after a bit of a lull since the 12th of January). Lainy found a White-billed Diver in the Tay on the 13th and I decided to check the river between the bridges on my walk home that same day. Needless to say, I was unsuccessful though Cormorant, Eider, Great Black-backed Gull and Red-breasted Merganser were seen.
As the amount of available daylight increased some more so did the numbers of species I encountered. Bullfinch, a group of 9 Long-tailed Tits, Rook and Sparrowhawk took the figures for the 17th to 23 species. On the 23rd, Sparrowhawk was my best sighting. Bullfinch and Mistle Thrush the following day added a bit of extra variety among 24 species noted. On the 26th, I managed a total of 29 species including an unexpected Crossbill, the first returning Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Oystercatchers, Pied Wagtail, Pink-footed Geese, Redwing and Siskin. Bullfinch and Siskin were the most interesting birds the following day, rounding off February. Signs of Spring as March arrived included increasing numbers of Lesser Black-backeds and increasingly vocal Oystercatchers (neither of the pair on the football pitches at Lochee Park was ringed - so perhaps 6A5 is no longer around - time will tell).
A Kestrel was seen on the 2nd of March - one of the Law birds most likely given where I saw it. The numbers of gulls on the football pitches continued to rise as the daylight hours lengthened even further. Grey Wagtail and Sparrowhawk on the 9th, Mistle Thrush, Grey Wagtail and Pied Wagtail on the 10th and Bullfinch and Kestrel (again) on the 12th kept things relatively interesting as the numbers of species being seen crept past the 25 mark more regularly. The first calling Chiffchaff was heard on the 16th, and a Nuthatch was also heard the same day. Sparrowhawk and Oystercatcher also put in appearances that day, among 30 species noted (a surprisingly good total for mid-March). Signs of Spring continued the following day with the first migrant Meadow Pipit heading over in the morning. Black-headed Gull numbers dropped off to low single figures by the 19th. Bullfinch, Redwing and Siskin on the 17th and Bullfinch, Chiffchaff, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers over Byron Street, Pied Wagtail, Rook and Sparrowhawk were among the best birds among 32 on the 19th.
Chiffchaff was being heard more often than not as March drew to a close. Meadow Pipits passing overhead, paired Oystercatchers and Lesser Black-backed Gulls were all much more obvious. The numbers of Common Gulls started to dwindle at Lochee Park. Bullfinch, Pied Wagtail, Redpoll, Siskin, Sparrowhawk and Great Spotted Woodpecker added some extra variety as March came to the end. My total number of species for the period covered in this post was a fairly decent 52, as well as 3 of mammals. Newly arriving Spring migrants should increase the variety of species over the next month or so, and the geese and Redwings sightings will soon tail off to zero. Will there be any Waxwings around Ancrum Road this Spring? Will there be any rarities seen on my way to/from work? Time will tell...
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| Siskin |
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| Bullfinch |
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| Chaffinch |
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| House Sparrow |
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| Starling |
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| Jay |
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| Magpie |
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| Long-tailed Tit |
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| Coal Tit |
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| Blackbird |
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| Robin |
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| Grey Wagtail |
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| Feral Pigeon |
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| Lesser Black-backed Gull |
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| Common Gull |
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| Black-headed Gull |
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| Kestrel |
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| Sparrowhawk |
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| Carrion Crow & Buzzard |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Cormorant |
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| Pink-footed Goose |
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| Great Spotted Woodpecker |
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| Song Thrush |
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| Redwing |
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| Tawny Owl |
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| Crossbill |
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| Meadow Pipit |
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| Goldcrest |
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| Blackcap |
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| Chiffchaff |
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| Pied Wagtail |
Birds - Black-headed Gull, Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Brambling, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Cormorant, Crossbill, Dunnock, Eider, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Black-backed Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Nuthatch, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Pink-footed Goose, Red-breasted Merganser, Redpoll, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Siskin, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Tawny Owl, Treecreeper, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Mammals - Fox, Grey Squirrel, Wood Mouse.
