Riverside Nature Park, Dundee. (2 Viewers)

Well done on the pic Ian.I visited last Sunday with Gus Guthrie and It looks a fantastic place and has great potential.

Popped down for a few hours this morning. One of the first birds I saw was a new one for my own site list (but not the park list) - a Magpie. Saw it again later flying off over the bay towards Invergowrie. One of the last birds I saw as I was on my way out of the park was another (?) Lesser Whitethroat at the eastern end of Buzzard Wood. Heard it singing, then spotted it foraging around in the bushes. Could this be a different bird from the two seen towards the Lochan?

Unfortunately there seems to be growing numbers of dog walkers throwing balls etc for dogs to chase, mostly around the hill where the Skylarks and Meadow Pipits are. I've tried speaking to a few of them, but in a few cases it is like talking to a brick wall. One asked what the difference between his dog running around and a fox running around was. Well, a dog can be kept under control by a responsible owner, a fox will do what a fox will do (and is part of the nature in the park anyway).....

There are so many places/parks a dog can be exercised in Dundee without causing too much disturbance to wildlife, but a Nature Park seems to be the preference of an increasing number. The days when there are lots of dogs around seem to be the days when there are fewer birds. Co-incidence?

Anyway, managed to see 36 species, but not much of anything except around 25 Jackdaws. Also heard Goldcrest but didn't see it.

Blackbird (3), Blackcap (1m), Black Headed Gull (5), Buzzard (1), Carrion Crow, Chaffinch (5), Common Gull (1), Curlew (6), Dunnock (1), Feral Pigeon (3), Goldfinch (5), Grey Heron (1), Herring Gull (8), Jackdaw (25), Lesser Black Backed Gull (6), Lesser Redpoll (4), Lesser Whitethroat (1), Linnet (2), Long Tailed Tit (1), Magpie (1), Mallard (3), Mute Swan (2), Oystercatcher (1), Pied Wagtail (2), Redshank (2), Shelduck (3), Skylark (2), Song Thrush (2), Starling (10), Stock Dove (1), Swallow (7), Whitethroat (5), Willow Warbler (2), Woodpigeon (4), Wren (2), Yellowhammer (1),

Nice addition to your site list, Barry

I got one at last, Steve.

Well, as the weather didn't look too promising for heading off anywhere this morning, I set off rather half-heartedly for the park. As I arrived the sky seemed to darken some more and the wind whipped across the river into my face. Not the most fun way to spend an hour or two. Checked the bay first after a walk along the road outside produced Starling, Oystercatcher, Jackdaw and Carrion Crow. Just a few gulls (Black Headed, Herring and Lesser Black backed and 1 Common) and the odd Curlew or two. A couple of pairs of Mallards and a handful of Shelducks completed the picture. Could hear a Whitethroat singing but it was keeping out of sight, and out of the wind. A good idea.
Not too much of anything around, though I could hear a few of the more usual calls (Long tailed Tit, Chaffinch, Yellowhammer, Lesser Redpoll). Managed to eventually see all except the Long tailed Tits. A male Sparrowhawk flew over pursued by a rather vociferous Starling, and a Skylark took to the air after it was gone. Decided to cut short my visit and head home, so passing Buzzard Wood I took a slight detour to add Blackcap, Dunnock and Robin to the list. I could hear the distinctive call of a Collared Dove from in the trees, but no matter where I stood I just couldn't see it. Decided to spend a wee while longer as the sun had by now shown itself, and the temperature had gone up slightly. A few Swallows darted around in the sheltered area behind the trees out of the wind. Spotted a Woodpigeon sitting in the trees and a couple of Goldfinches flitted around calling. A few Chaffinches were in the trees and a couple of Lesser redpolls flew in. Another Robin was at the front of Buzzard Wood, but I still couldn't see the Collared Dove. Sightings of this common bird are surprisingly infrequent at the park, with one sat on houses in Invergowrie seen from the hide the only record so far. As it would be a new one for my list too, I was determined to see it, if I could. A surprise male House Sparrow was in the bushes by the northeast corner of Buzzard Wood. Wandered around the western end of the park adding Wren, Dunnock, Willow Warbler, Blackbird and Song Thrush. Saw a female Reed Bunting in the hedges opposite Buzzard wood and a male singing near the car park. A Greenfinch male landed in front of me behind the car park allowing me a couple of reasonable photos. A single Pied Wagtail flew off from the short grass by the path here. Passing the Lochan, the two Mute Swans were back and 7 Oystercatchers were roosting by the road side of the water. Added a single Redshank feeding in the burn channel to the short list from the bay.

My enthusiasm flagging once more I headed towards the eastern end. As I approached the end of the trees to the north of Buzzard Wood a skip (or something equally heavy) was dropped over by the recycling area making a loud bang. At that, a bird flew out from the trees at the corner of Buzzard Wood before landing back in the trees. Managed to see enough to guess that it was the Collared Dove. Looking through the binoculars seemed to confirm it. As I walked closer, it first flew deeper into the trees before flying out at speed in my general direction. Fired off a couple of photos but only one was any good. Fortunately though it confirmed the ID as Collared Dove (my own 109th tick at the park). Despite the add to my list, I now lacked any enthusiasm for continued birding, so I headed to the bus stop.

32 species seen, which wasn't too bad.

As the weather forecast for today wasn't looking promising, I headed for the park around 10am in the hope of squeezing in a wee bit of birding today. Was also hoping that there might be an outside chance of a Blue-Winged Teal which was apparently seen at Barry Buddon yesterday making an appearance (it didn't). Managed the first Tern of the year, and a possible Little Gull though. When the rain came on around 1140 it was time to head for home.

Blackbird, Black Headed Gull (5), Buzzard (1 being mobbed by a couple of Crows), Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull (10+), Curlew (2), Goldfinch (1), Herring Gull, House Martin (2), House Sparrow (1), Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Lesser Redpoll (2), Little Gull (possible - across far side of bay in flight), Long Tailed Tit (1), Mallard, Mute Swan (2), Oystercatcher (2), Redshank (4), Robin (1), Feral Pigeon (2), Sandwich Tern (1), Shelduck, Skylark (1), Song Thrush (1), Starling (1), Swallow (1), Swift (c12), Whitethroat
Also heard Blackcap, Willow Warbler and possibly Lesser Whitethroat as well.

Two new park birds

This morning looked good with heavy rain last night and haar this morning. I saw a Marsh Harrier (probably adult female) flying west across Invergowrie Bay with a Herring Gull escort, the first since the park opened.
I met Graham Rough who had seen and photographed a male Red-backed Shrike a few minutes ago so I carried on to the bushy area overlooking the marsh. No sign of it for ages then I saw it briefly (noon) in the brambles before it dived out of sight. A Lesser Whitethroat was singing from various song-posts from Buzzard Wood up to the lochan so I`m guessing it`s unmated.
i saw the Shrike again about 2pm in the last Hawthorn before the cattlefield. Right of the path as you descend towards the fields. When people/dogs went past it went deep into the bush.
I hope it stays around for locals to see it-a great addition to the park list!
Also several sightings of Collared Doves (I had taken them for granted), also 1 first-summer Little Gull in bay nr station, 1 Sandwich Tern (never seen them before end June) and female Goldeneye way out in the bay.
Also 5 sp of butterfly including Orange-tip and many flowers now out and being recorded.
127. Marsh Harrier.
128. Red-backed Shrike.

hi ian that was me that found the red backed shrike,im glad you managed to locate it,i was really chuffed finding this bird ,it is self found lifer for me and as I was saying in the park I intended travelling to windyhills to get a glimpse of that shrike,(never made it that far)I was following a group of long tailed tits when the shrike appeared,it came out on the end of a branch then flew down and landed on the boggy area,a female reedbunting checked it out then disappeared,i have just got a new phone and was struggling to get the news out,i couldn,t get logged into birdforum and I couldn,t find stonefactions email,i emailed mark caunt just before I met ian, I had another 2 species that I personally have never seen in the park,1 redpoll sitting on the tree that usually has a greenfinch on it at the car park and 2 collard doves landing in the trees at buzzard wood,ian also pointed out the orange tipped butterfly to me ,another new park species for me,lots of whitethroats in the park today including 1 where the lesser whitethroat is ,I only saw its head so no positive id,didn,t travel the whole park after finding the shrike but other birds seen were
greenfinch/songthrush/yellowhammer/wren/kestrel/swallow/willow warbler/carrion crow/jackdaw/6 shellducks/lssrb gull/1 stock dove/woodpigeon/chaffinch/great tit/robin/skylark/starling/blackbird/mallard/black headed gull

After drawing a blank on the shrike during an extended lunchbreak, and missing two buses by seconds that would've saved me ten minutes walk, and faced with a weather forecast of torrential rain, I swithered whether or not to try again after work. The rain came on heavy around 3pm or so, and I checked the forecast again. It said showers (albeit heavy ones). That was promising. Decided to go for it. 4pm and out the door and headed for home. In and out in less than 10 minutes and back into town. The bus back out seemed to take forever and the sky looked quite threatening again.

Ran down to the park, noting a few of the regular birds as I went (Blackbird, Song Thrush, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Feral Pigeon), but no Shrike. Met another birder who had missed out during his lunchbreak too. He hadn't seen any sign of it either. Added a Robin and some hawking Swifts and Swallows plus a singing Yellowhammer to the rather short list for the eastern third of the park where the Shrike had been seen earlier. Kept catching glimpses of what turned out to be the same Robin over and over as it dived around. Was debating how much longer to keep trying (as buses are thinner on the ground after 6pm) when I happened to turn around and there sat on a branch some distance away was the shrike.

Keeping my eyes firmly fixed on the bird, and silently imploring it not to move, I fumbled for what seemed an eternity trying to extricate my camera from a carrier bag inside my camera bag (extra precaution against the predicted deluge). With some relief I managed to get a photo, then adjusted the settings to something more fitting for the rather grotty lighting. I edged slowly closer to where the bird was perched out in the open, stopping and taking a few more photos each time I stopped. The bird seemed quite unconcerned and I managed to get to around 10 feet from it before it dived into the bush beside the tree it had perched in. Just at that, the other birder came back, but the bird wasn't showing. We waited for a while but only the Robin and a Blackbird were showing themselves around the bush where the Shrike had gone into. A couple of Lesser Redpolls flew over calling. Another couple of birders showed up to look for it. Let them know where it was and headed for the bus, rather pleased to have managed to see and get some rather nice photos of what was a lifer for me.

I was also quite pleased that a prediction I'd made before I'd even visited the park (before it opened to the public) had come true. I'd mentioned that I thought the park looked ideal for a Shrike to turn up. Great Grey Shrike was my expectation, so I was rather glad to have been a wee bit wrong. Great to hear that Marsh harrier is also now on the list.

seems to be a few people missing rb shrike,i spoke to alec shepherd on top of Arbroath cliffs in the afternoon and told him I had found a male at riverside and he said he hasn,t seen one either,hope it does hang around for a few days ,best day I have had in the park in the last couple of months

Very early start today for the Dawn Chorus event being run by the Countryside Rangers. Pleasantly surprised by the turnout - Me, 2 Rangers, 3 local birders, a young-ish couple and 2 Mums with young kids - all at the park for 4am. Lovely still morning with more than 30 species of bird seen (including a new patch tick for me - 2 overflying Canada Geese). Rather less impressed by the taxi fare...

Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Bullfinch (1pr), Canada Goose (2), Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Lesser Redpoll, Little Gull (1 1st winter), Mallard, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Shelduck, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren

Also heard - Siskin, Yellowhammer, Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat,

I had a walk around the park 12.00 am to 2.00 pm yesterday,very overcast conditions,26 species seen willow warbler heard but not seen,saw my first swifts of the year and there were quite a few about,highest count was seven flying together at the dump area,only 1 swallow seen,there were male blackbirds all through the park and all were perched in prominent positions keeping an eye out for their familys,only 2 female black birds seen,1 feeding 2 large juvs the second with a full beak of worms,1 song thrush also with a beakfull of worms,3 dunnocks were sitting on the same branch at the car park,at least 1 of them was a juv,a shellduck was calling out beside the earth viewing point,the kestrel was hunting the grassy area,other birds seen
oystercatcher/starling/robin/yellowhammer/jackdaw/carrion crow/woodpigeon/1 m house sparrow/1 whitethroat/linnet/herring gull/lssb gull/bh gull/skylark/long tailed tits/chaffinch/goldfinch/mallard/mute swan.
there were quite a few small bunnies about

7 Canada Geese flew into Invergowrie Bay past RNP at 9pm. 14 Little Gulls were off Kingoodie Pier flying in from the east, also 30+ Sandwich Terns from east. All no doubt visible from RNP! Ian

Dropped into the park after work for an hour or so. Quite pleasant in the sunshine, with still quite a lot of birdsong in the air. The bay was very quiet though, with some Oystercatchers, a few Mallards, and Shelduck in with small numbers of gulls (Black Headed, Common, Lesser Black Backed, Herring). Not too much of anything else around either with the large numbers of Jackdaws and Carrion Crows having dropped dramatically, though there were still a few of the former at the Lochan and a few of the latter in the compost area. There were 3 Feral Pigeons visible from the hide, and a Collared Dove shot past along the line of the hedge heading for Invergowrie as I left the hide path, and as always there were one or two Woodpigeons around. A Kestrel was hovering over the airfield.

Songbirds were generally on their own - Blackbird, Blue Tit, Chaffinch, Greenfinch (two of these), Long Tailed Tit (seen at 3 different parts of the park), Reed Bunting (male), Robin, Song Thrush (2), Starling and Willow Warbler. A couple of Swallows raced by me near the hill. Heard a few Blackcaps as well as Goldfinch, Whitethroat, Dunnock, Skylark and Yellowhammer.

A few other observations - there was work being carried out in the car park (looked like more "chuckies" being laid around the edge bordering the tip). The vegetation around the hide, and in front, is making seeing anything on the near side of the pipe very tricky. May be better to view this area from just outside the park at the bridge over the railway line. I've also notified the council about the amount of Giant Hogweed that has appeared around near the path and hedge towards the western edges. Hopefully it will be destroyed before it gets the chance to flower and spread again.

I went down to Riverside this evening in case Little Gulls and Sandwich Terns passed. Only 9 of the latter but far more exciting was a Fulmar that came up the Tay, flew right into Invergowrie Bay and carried on past Kingoodie Pier until I lost it. I think it may be new for the park. 6 Greylags flew over to SE.

Fulmar is indeed a new one for the list, Ian (although they have been seen from the airport before), so number 129 it is. Wonder what number 130 will be......

129. Fulmar

I meant to add I saw the chuckies covering the Bank Vole`s home and wondered what was going on. Maybe a path, maybe to help drain the car park?? Also noticed the Giant Hogweed and think it should be tackled without spraying if possible. There are bare patches from previous spraying and plenty of new Gt Hogweed stems. I`ll follow up with Alison Anderson.

Well, thought I should try to get to the park and see if I could find something to get the total to 130 before the 2nd anniversary of the park opening on 18th January. As the forecast was very good I got up early and was at the park from around 8:10. Had a wander around in the sunshine. The park is looking very yellow with a carpet of 1000s of Buttercups over large areas including one of the cow fields. Hardly any bees at all though (saw 2!). More butterflies around than bees.

The tide was quite far out but as I walked along the path towards the river from near the hide, I caught sight of a white bird flying away, so quickly fired off a sequence of photos. An egret, but the photos weren't conclusive enough when viewed on the camera screen in the strong sunlight to be sure which it was, and with nothing alongside it, all I could be certain of was that it was indeed an egret. Later on the PC at home, the yellow-ish feet were more obvious, showing it to be a Little Egret (of which there have been a few around the east coast of Scotland recently). The bird seemed to be heading towards the Tay but despite lots of searching through the gulls, shelduck and herons out on the mud there was no sign of it. the local recorder, Jon Cook, showed up later with a scope but we still drew a blank. Lots of Swifts above the park (in the region of 100?) with a few House Martins and a Swallow or two.

Managed 40 species in all with plenty evidence of breeding (beaks full of food and a few youngsters too).
Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard (1), Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove (1), Common Gull, Cormorant (2), Curlew (4), Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Grey Heron (4), Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel (1), Lesser Black Backed Gull, Lesser Redpoll, Lesser Whitethroat (2), Linnet (2), Little Egret (1), Long Tailed Tit (4), Mallard, Mute Swan (2), Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail (1), Feral Pigeon, Shelduck, Skylark (1), Song Thrush (5), Starling (30+), Swallow (3), Swift (c100), Whitethroat (5), Willow Warbler (2), Woodpigeon, Yellowhammer.

(Young Shelduck (5), Long Tailed Tit (2), Goldfinch (1), Whitethroat (2)).

Found a dead mouse on one of the paths which was a new species of mammal for me at the park.

130. Little Egret

A super spot that Barry, well done.

A great totaliser there too!

Thanks, Delia. It is my own 113th species at the site in under 2 years. Just been compiling a list of potential birds that could appear. I think that we could yet make 150 species and the 140 mark is certainly reachable within the next 12 months or so. It has certainly far exceeded my expectations for the site.