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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Riverside Nature Park, Dundee. (1 Viewer)

Slightly belated report from Monday 13th. Popped in after work for 45 mins or so. Path at Invergowrie end was exceedingly muddy with the grass along the path edges being the chosen route for increasing numbers of visitors it appears. Also an increase in unbagged, but left lying around, dog crap especially along towards the lochan. A couple of litter bins have been added at the car park too, which hopefully will be used if required.
Birdwise, almost no small birds around - Blackbird heard and a single Pied wagtail flew east (probably towards the roost near Discovery Point). Lots of gulls out in the bay but too far away and against the light to pick out anything other than the usual three of Herring, Common and Black Headed. Shelduck starting to appear again in reasonable numbers. Mallard and plenty of Teal also. Only Waders seen were Redshank, Curlew and Oystercatcher. A single Buzzard flew over the bay spooking most of the birds there. Both Feral and Wood Pigeon flew over, and there were a small group of Carrion Crows sitting around on the fenceposts. Hopefully more around next visit.
 
A visit from around 1130 till 1510 produced a decent amount of species though once again none in great numbers.

Added 2 birds to my yearlist in the shape of a couple of Lesser Black Backed Gulls in the bay and an overflying Skylark seen from the hide flying in the direction of Invergowrie. Heard it calling and managed a photo to confirm my ears weren't deceiving me.

Not having a scope with me caused a few problems with another possible for the yearlist. The light was pretty poor, being overcast and with a cold wind in my face, and holding binoculars steady proved to be quite tricky. Saw what looked like quite a small-ish Curlew, in the company of a flock of Redshanks, with an eye stripe, a dark crown and what appeared (on a couple of poor photos) to be a crown stripe. The beak appeared quite long for Whimbrel, and when it took off the outer wings appeared to be all dark on the best photo I got. Other photos just muddied the issue even further with the legs appearing to protrude behind the tail and the outer wing being less dark. I put word out on the local text grapevine as a possible Whimbrel (just in case) but reviewing the photos tonight on the PC, I think a Curlew with a faint crown stripe is the likelier ID.

Other birds seen included 4 Black tailed Godwits, 2 Pink Footed Geese (1 with a bit of polythene bag over its bill), 5 Buzzards, a couple of singing Goldcrests, and a small group of Long Tailed Tits. Shelduck, Teal, Mallard (including a very pale buff coloured female) and a couple of drake Goldeneye were out in the bay. Lots of Black Headed Gulls, plus a few Common Gulls and plenty Herring Gulls. Still no sign of any white winged Gulls in the bay (though most are out of binocular range across the bay - a decent scope would be a big help). Also had 3 Bullfinches feeding on buds together. Carrion Crows, Jackdaws, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Chaffinch, Curlew, Dunlin (3 at first joined by another 30 or so), a few Goldfinches, a few Meadow Pipits near the top of the hill, Robin, Wren, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, and a Siskin made up the rest of the list.
 
Hi guys,

My apologies if this is not the correct thread to post in, but I wanted to ask a question and I'm not sure where to put it, and time is of the essence!

I live in Dundee city centre, right behind the old Wishart church, I feed my local birds every day, so I'm regularly looking out the window to see what the little guys are up to.
This morning I spotted something I didn't recognise at all, so after a bit of research I think our visitor is a grey partridge.....

At first we had no idea where this guy could have come from let alone how he could get back, we found this thread looking online, and we think this guy may be from the Riverside nature park, it's been very windy in Dundee this week, and we live downwind of the park, about 4-5 miles.....

He is clearly not in an enviroment that is familiar to him/her (I haven't been able to see the breast to work out if it's he or she) but is well-hidden for now, off the ground on a ledge at the back of the old church. We don't have any cats around here either, but I don't think he's going to be able to get some on his own so I'm not sure what to do?

I will pop out to Tesco and throw some nice seed mix up on the ledge for now, but I think someone needs to catch him if they can and return him home....

In the meantime here are some pics, one is a bad zoom in the other shows you the location he is hiding in.....this is the best my camera can do but hopefully it's enough to be able to help ID him?

Many thanks!
 

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Hi Herring_gull and a warm welcome to you on behalf of the Staff and Moderators.

I would think this bird is probably looking around for a mate and somewhere to nest. Certainly, give him some seed mix, but I'd just keep an eye on him for a few days and hopefully he'll fly off and look for somewhere more suitable.

It could have come from Riverside, but there are a few other pockets of countryside round about where they occur, even across the river in Fife.

Please keep us informed of what he's up to. If he's still there in a week, we may have to think of some other action to take.

D
 
Hi Herring_gull and a warm welcome to you on behalf of the Staff and Moderators.

I would think this bird is probably looking around for a mate and somewhere to nest. Certainly, give him some seed mix, but I'd just keep an eye on him for a few days and hopefully he'll fly off and look for somewhere more suitable.

It could have come from Riverside, but there are a few other pockets of countryside round about where they occur, even across the river in Fife.

Please keep us informed of what he's up to. If he's still there in a week, we may have to think of some other action to take.

D

Hi Delia, thank you for the warm welcome! :)

He is a 'he' I managed to spot his dark breast feathers (I've never seen a grey partridge before let alone one here!)

I've tried to take another picture of him, holding some binoculars infront of my camera.....it's a slight improvement....

Anyway, I got some seeds for him, but he got startled when I was chucking them over and he flew off, heading towards the Overgate! At least he seems in good shape, so I hope he's off home to somewhere much nicer than the moss-covered concrete shelf out back.
Still, the local sparrows found him a curiosity and kept approaching him in little groups, bobbing their tails in apprehension!
 

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Hi again HG, that really is rather good news, isn't it.

My gosh, though, biniscoping! That's an art I never perfected... well gave up after the first attempt :-O You did well.

D
 
Took a wee wander round the park this afternoon and saw 31 species in all. Started with Song Thrush calling at the eastern end of the park. Chaffinch in the trees by the road in, and a small group of Woodpigeons feeding in the field. A Buzzard flew into the trees from the west. A little further into the park, a Blue Tit was in the trees. Herring Gull and Curlew flew over, and a Blackbird noisily flew off. A vocal group of 5 Oystercatchers circled over the airport runway before dropping down into the grass.

Robin and Dunnock were in the bushes as the rain came on again, and a skein of Pink Footed Geese headed north disappearing into the low clouds. Spooked a male Sparrowhawk which flew off low and into the trees near the car park. A Goldfinch sang from the top of a bush and was joined by another Chaffinch.

Round at the lochan there were a number of Teal, and Coal Tit, Great Tit and 2 Long Tailed Tits were hunting through the bushes that run along the side of the path. Black Headed Gulls and a group of 5 Lesser Black Backed Gulls headed north towards Ninewells.

In the bay, a few Curlews could be seen quite far out on the mud and there were a few small groups of gulls, including Common Gulls, bathing and roosting by the burn. A single Great Black Backed Gull flew over. Mallards and a few Shelduck were dotted around and there were plenty Teal and Redshanks also. A Cormorant was seen offshore near the end of the pipe. 3 Black Tailed Godwits were feeding on the mud and a small flock of Dunlin were seen flying low out near the river. The bird scarer at the airport put up a small flock of Starlings and as I headed back towards the car park area the male Sparrowhawk lifted from the compost piles and flew north towards the Lochan.
 
A wee trip round the park after work yesterday (Monday) produced 24 species in all. Nothing new unfortunately. The tide was in so not as many birds around in the bay. Black Headed Gull, Herring Gull and a Lesser Black Backed Gull were on the water. Teal and Mallard were nearer the burn mouth, as did a couple of Shelducks. A roosting flock of Redshanks with 4 Black tailed Godwits mingled with Oystercatchers on the rocks along the side of the bay.

Song Thrush, Yellowhammers (small flock of maybe 10 birds) and a couple of Long Tailed Tits were in the hedge along by the Lochan. More Teal on the Lochan, and a flock of Carrion Crows and Jackdaws were drinking and bathing at a smaller pool nearby. A flock of Curlews were lifted by the bird scarer at the airport firing off flares. A Cormorant was seen flying down the Tay, and a Grey Heron flew into roost in the bay. Woodpigeons and Feral Pigeons both seen in small numbers.

A small flock of Linnets were around the west end of the compost area on the fence. Two Pied Wagtails were on the "field" north of the car park. Other birds seen were Blackbird, Chaffinch and Robin.
 
Another Monday late afternoon wander yesterday after work. The tide was a bit far out and there weren't great amounts of birds in the bay. Teal were close in to the railway line along the edge of the burn/pipe. A couple of Shelduck nearby then a mixed group of Gulls - Herring Gulls, Common Gulls, Black Headed Gulls and an increasing number of Lesser Black Backed Gulls. A few Mallards a bit further downstream and Redshank, Oystercatcher and a single Black Tailed Godwit feeding on the mud. A few Curlew also around. carrion Crow, Feral Pigeon and Jackdaw also in the area of the pipe. Mute Swan and Teal on the Lochan and a Grey Heron was spooked from the field by a dog-walker.

Not too many smaller birds around (quite windy and overcast). Blackbird, Long Tailed Tit, Grey Wagtail (pair) plus a couple of overflying Starlings were about the sum total except for a couple of male Greenfinches singing and also a spot of display flight from one. Heard Wren, Blue Tit and Robin but didn't see any of them. A Yellowhammer was singing unseen near the Lochan.

Only raptor seen was one Buzzard low over the field towards the dump.
 
Have decided to start a seperate thread for Riverside Nature Park, Dundee.

For those that don't know, it's a council run site built on landfill ground, next to the City dump and sandwiched between Dundee Airport and Invergowrie Bay. It offers decent views into Invergowrie Bay (although the "hide" is only useful when the tide is almost fully in), and has a mix of potential habitats for a range of birds.

I'll start with a list of birds that I've seen since it opened to the public on June 18th this year, and as and when others (and me) see new birds here, they can be added to the list and we can see how many different species we can see from/in the park.

Hopefully others will see that it is actually worth a visit and add their own reports.

(Avocet and Peregrine have both been seen here this year, but before the park opened, so won't put them on the list).

! used to live in a smallholding in Longforgan which is not so far from your reserve, we at that time had free access to Castle Huntley long befor it became a penal establishment, I remember being told that the quarry near the shore in Invergowrie supplied stone for the building of Berlin, will of course be keeping a interested eye on your blogs

Good birding , Dougie
 
Thanks. :) Glad that folk are reading these posts.

Made another visit this afternoon after work. The tide was just starting to head back out when I got there at about 4.20. Redshanks were around the burn mouth on the wet mud, with a few Teal in the water in front of the hide as well as a pair of Shelduck. Feral Pigeon flew over, and Herring Gulls were out in the bay. A small flock of Carrion Crows with a few Rooks were on the hill.

I decided to walk via the Lochan first rather than out along the edge of the bay. A pair of Long tailed Tits were in the bushes at the western end, and a Yellowhammer was in the same area. More Teal and a pair of Mallards on the Lochan plus a single Black Headed Gull and a Pied Wagtail at the edge. Chaffinch singing in the bushes and a single Stock Dove flew over. A flock of around 20 Linnets and 10 or so Starlings plus 2 Oystercatchers were feeding on the 'fields' near the car park. Two Buzzards drifted over and a Kestrel was seen distantly hovering over the airport. Robin, Dunnock, Goldfinch and Blackbird were also around in one of the small wooded areas, as were other finches which went unidentified as they flew off before I got a good look at them.

Blue Tits were in the trees at the car park and a Skylark sprung up from behind the trees and climbed higher into the blue sky singing away. As I walked round towards the bay, a pair of Meadow Pipits tangled in the air (hard to say what purpose this served). A young Grey Heron flew up from the compost area. Almost didn't spot a single Goose on the side of the fenced off area to the south of the path. Looked like a relatively long necked Pink Footed Goose with a larger pink bill than I would expect on a Pinkie (hardly any black on the bill either). Shape wise the bill was more like a Bean Goose but the leg and bill colour was wrong for Bean Goose. The back was also rather grey, so I suspect it was a Pinkie with a wee bit of something else in the mix (domestic goose?). Either way I think it is an injured bird which I also saw a few weeks ago making its way across the mud. A few Jackdaws flew over rather noisily.

The tide was a bit further out by this time and Curlew and Lesser Black backed Gulls were seen in the bay. A couple of Woodpigeons and a steady stream of gulls (still no white-wingers) coming into roost in the bay completed the list for the day. A single male Kestrel was circling above the hide as I headed for my bus home.
 
i had a walk about the park at 9.45 am this morning,unbeliavably warm,1 sparrow hawk/buzzards/1 skylark/3 male yellowhammers/linnets/robins/dunnocks/starlings/blue tits/woodpigeons/feral pigeons/meadow pipits/chaffinch/carrion crows/blackbirds were seen walking along the paths,the lochan had some teals on it and some resting birds were on the grass,shellducks/redshanks/curlews/1 lbb gull/bh gull in the bay 4 unidentified small brown jobs in the trees ,
 

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Sunny day today though not as warm as through the week had been, so headed down to the park around lunchtime for a few hours of slow wandering round. 35 species of bird seen.

Blackbird - a few pairs around. Black Headed Gulls - small number in the bay. Blue Tit - a few in the trees. Buzzard - two circling over the "fields" a couple of times. Carrion Crow - dotted around the park with double figures down on the mud. Chaffinch - seemed to be everywhere around the park, singing or at least calling from most of the treed areas. Chiffchaff - heard a couple of them calling as I crossed the road to get to the park and managed to see, and photograph, one. Good to see them back. Common Gull - a couple of them on the mud with the other gulls. Cormorant - just the one seen out on the pipe. Tide was out so most of the birds were distant . Curlew - distant views mostly but their distinctive shape makes them easy to pick out. One bird in front of the hide feeding along the side of the burn.

Dunnock - a few singing in the trees but mostly unseen, one seen feeding on the ground by the car park. Goldfinch, just one bird seen in trees near eastern end of the park. Great Tit - heard more than I seen, one in trees at car park and one other. Greenfinch - display flight from trees near car park. Grey Heron - two out in the bay by the pipe. Herring Gull - probably the most numerous bird in the bay (along with Redshanks). Jackdaw - a few birds down on the mud and on pipe with Carrion Crows.

Lesser Black backed Gull - at least 4 or 5 in with the Herring Gulls at their bathing point (first bend in the burn). Linnet - small flock in the compost area (probably around 10 birds). Long Tailed Tit - two feeding in pines at car park. Mallard - a few out at the mouth of the burn. Meadow Pipit - at least 11 on the slopes of the hill, and in lone tree on western slope down from viewpoint. Mute Swan - one ringed bird flew in as I was leaving - looked to be headed for the Lochan.

Oystercatcher - a few birds calling noisily over a couple of times. Only 1 seen out on the mud. Pied Wagtail - one flying over the fields. Redshank - still easily the most numerous wader in the bay. Numbers of the other species are dropping noticably. Robin - lots of singing birds dotted around the park. Feral Pigeon - a few at the pipe and flying over. Rook - just one seen overflying.

Shelduck - a few pairs out in the bay feeding on the mud. Siskin - one seen in trees at car park. Skylark - a few singing high in the sky mostly above the airport. Teal - 15 at the Lochan. Woodpigeon - a couple of small groups flew westwards. Yellowhammer - one at eastern end, and one drinking at the Lochan.
 
Took a walk down to Riverside after work tonight. The full list of species seen was Blackbird - a couple of pairs around, Black Headed Gull - out in the bay, quite a few now with full hoods, Bar-tailed Godwit - flock of around 50 birds flew in as the tide receded. Buzzard - on mewing but unseen, another over later, Carrion Crow - the usual flock, Chaffinch - singing all around the park, Common Gull - a few in the bay, Curlew - one feeding in the mud near the hide.

Dunnock - one in hedge by the Lochan, Goldfinch - one with flock of Linnets in eastern 'fields'. Greemfinch - one singing near east end of park. Grey Heron - one asleep on pipe in front of hide. Herring Gull - most numerous gull in the bay. Jackdaw - a few birds over from Ninewells direction, Lesser Black Backed Gull - at least 6 in the bay, Linnet - small flock in east end 'fields'. Long Tailed Tit - 2 feeding and bathing in bushes at car park, Mallard - a few pairs in the bay. Meadow Pipit - just one seen near the hill, Mute Swan - 2 in the bay. Oystercatcher - small numbers in bay and a pair feeding in 'field' north of car park.

Pied Wagtail - 2 in fields and another in the compost area, Pink Footed Goose - the injured bird still out beyond the fence at southeast 'corner' of path network, Redshank - still reasonable numbers feeding along water's edge as tide went out, Robin - a few birds singing, Feral Pigeon - a few around, Shelduck - at least a dozen roosting to south of compost area, Skylark - a few singing above the airport, Starling - small group feeding in fields, Teal - double figures at Lochan, Woodpigeon - a few around, Yellowhammer - 3 in hedge near Lochan.

On my way down to the park I dropped by the path network behind the hospital through the trees (sign-posted as Ninewells Arboretum) where at least one Chiffchaff was heard but not seen, and Blue Tit, Blackbird, Jackdaw were seen. Best bird seen however was a first for the hospital grounds for me - a nice Jay which I saw fly into a large tree where I had a decent view through binoculars before it flew off towards the big old house.
 
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A year ago this weekend (Saturday April 9th) 6 Avocets turned up in Invergowrie Bay. I didn't see them, and only heard about them the following day, so I'm hoping that they put in an appearance again this year. Fingers crossed. If anyone should happen to see them, please post in here ASAP. Thanks.
 
Paid the first visit today with my oldest lad (5). Got the timing wrong as the tide was quite far out.

Saw a few species such as Teal, Wigeon, Mute Swan, Yellowhammer, Chaffinch, Shelduck, Curlew. Nothing to add to the impressive list above but i think we'll be visiting more often, makes a change from Templeton Woods, Crombie and Monikie.
 
A wee bit of catching up to do for me.....

9th April

Testing out a new lens (for taking to work with me when planning on visiting RNP) I headed down to the park around 2pm. A few minutes in the park and down came the rain. Heavy rain. Thankfully I managed to shelter behind a hedge and stayed dry. Not a huge amount of birds around, and very few chances to give the lens a decent workout. Birds seen were - Black Headed Gull, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Peregrine (at last! - one pass over the bay - a new patch tick), Pink Footed Goose, Redshank, Feral Pigeon, Shelduck, Starling, Teal, Woodpigeon.

85. Peregrine
 
14th April

A short 30 mins visit on Saturday morning turned out quite well, with a new patch tick and a bird for the yearlist too. Only 22 species seen but a decent selection of birds. - Bar Tailed Godwit (60+), Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Common Gull, Curlew, Goosander (1 female), Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Lesser Redpoll (year tick), Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Oystercatcher, Feral Pigeon, Shelduck, Shoveler (new patch tick - a pair just offshore at the northwest 'corner' of the path network), Starling, Teal, Woodpigeon, Yellowhammer.

Surprised to see so many Bar Tailed Godwits this far up river. Normally a few Black Tailed Godwits around but this flock of Bar Taileds has been around a few times lately. Interesting to get both species at the same site.

86. Shoveler
 
16th April

Paid the park another visit after work, but with the tide well out I wasn't expecting too much. A fairly standard list although a few nice birds mixed in as well. 25 species - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit (4), Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull (1), Curlew, Goosander (1 female), Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Lesser Redpoll (4 - probably the same ones I saw on Saturday by the car park), Mallard, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Feral Pigeon, Shelduck, Skylark, Starling, Stock Dove (2), Swallow (2 - passing through heading north to the west of the lochan), Teal, Woodpigeon.

Shedboy71 - good to see someone else paying the park a visit to look at the wildlife (makes a nice change from dog walkers whose 'charges' tend to scatter most of the wildlife in all directions). Interesting that you saw Wigeon - apart from a brief spell when there were a few birds around for a few weeks they have been in short supply. The summer visitors (Willow Warbler, Whitethroat, Blackcap, Swallow, Swift etc) will all be back soon livening the main park up a bit, although the bay does lose the waders for a few months - though possibility of Osprey and Sandwich Tern are a nice bit of compensation.
 
i lost my internet connection 16\04/12 but have had a couple of enjoyable visits here since then,carrion crow and song thrush approaching the car park,3 greenfinches feeding in a tree right in front of my car,1 goldfinch skylarks,bluetits,jackdaw,woodpigeon, 1pair of long tailed tits,dunocks,robin,in the trees to the right,11 teals on the lochan,1 curlew feeding just to the left,on my visit on the 17/04/12 i walked the park at 1.00 pm the tide was well in and a group of waders were resting up just in front of the pipe right in front of the hide ,4 cracking black tailed godwits showing the start of their summer plumage, 60+ redshanks,2 lssb gulls keeping an eye on them,2 mutes,lots of teal,12 shellducks,feral pigeon,woodpigeon flying overhead
 

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