Riverside Nature Park, Dundee. (1 Viewer)

[delia todd]

I think we need to update the Opus article!

 

[kawwauser]

I headed down to the park 10.30 am Monday hoping the egret would still be around,the tide was out so I checked the channels rather than stand at the hide, no egret seen but a very noisy sandwich tern was flying about at the hide(seen from the earth viewing point)I again seen a whitethroat where the lesser whitethroat is but again to quick for a positive id,there was also a redpoll perched here ,not sure which one ,standing at buzzard wood I had birds calling all around me,song thrush in front/black bird behind/chaffinch /yellowhammer/skylark and a sudden burst from a closely hidden wren,it all ended when a plane flew over,as stonefaction reported the park is awash with buttercups,add to this the foliage and it now looks like a park,i bumped into 2 couples I have never met here, both non birders so far, 1 couple were very impressed by a recent sighting of a sea eagle they had,both couples were very chatty about the birds around,should be a good number of juvs around in the next few weeks going by the birds with beaksfull of insects,i noticed a yellowhammer(male) constantly carrying only 1 insect at a time,is this usual?
I later checked the tayport shoreline for the egret again drawing a blank,the tayport pond mutes have only 6 cygnets a very poor year for them,but they were constantly followed by herring gulls on the prowl, sandmartins were flying over the pond and a sedge warbler was calling,i then headed for Morton lochs ,walking from my car I was passed by a rangers vehicle which stopped and the ranger walked over to me and gave me some news (a liittle egret plus a pair of garganeys have been seen on the north loch in the morning )I headed for the berry hide and met up with some birders who had been there for over an hour, no egret but the garganeys were over by the island with the weeds on it,i have only seen 2 little egrets,both flyovers (guardbridge/lurgies)it would be nice to see one feeding,morton loch mutes have 9 cygnets

 

[kawwauser]

some press on the proposed park and ride scheme which will see a 400 car park built in the riverside nature park,as the report states it will be mostly people from perth who will use it and their numbers will be limited

http://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/news/local/dundee-to-get-two-park-rides-1.101765

 

[shedboy71]

Quick 1 and 1/2 hour visit today with my son. A couple of new species to add to our list. Lesser Whitethroat, Lesser Redpoll and Whitethroats being the highlights. Nice day.

Many thanks to Stonefaction for his help.

 

[Stonefaction]

A 5 hour visit to the park was made much more enjoyable by giving a couple of impromptu wee guided tours to a few folk - Shedboy71 and his son, and a wee while later to a lovely lady who I'd spoken to last weekend, briefly. Ended the day with 42 species and my first Damselfly and Painted Lady butterfly of the year. Rather surprised to find the Painted Lady at the top of the hill by the plinths. Reasonable views of the Lesser Whitethroats and a Stock Dove stood in the puddle at the lower cowfield pen. Decent views of the Kestrel (3 or 4 times) and a male Sparrowhawk (twice).

Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard (1), Carrion Crow (and young), Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Cormorant (1), Curlew (2), Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull (1), Great Tit (1), Greenfinch, Grey Heron (1), Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow (2+), Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Lesser Redpoll, Lesser Whitethroat (2), Long Tailed Tit (a few family groups), Mallard, Oystercatcher, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Sandwich Tern (1), Shelduck (including 6 ducklings), Skylark, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove (1), Swallow (3), Swift, Whitethroat (3+), Willow Warbler (3), Woodpigeon, Yellowhammer (1).

Photos are 1. Stock Dove 2. Shelduck female and 5 of 6 ducklings 3. Painted Lady 4. Kestrel

 

[Stonefaction]

A few more photos from today...

1. Common Whitethroat
2. Reed Bunting
3. Sparrowhawk male
4. Lesser Whitethroat
5. Caterpillars (no idea of species)

 

[kawwauser]

there was a grey wagtail feeding beside the lochan today ,this is the first grey wagtail I have seen in the park since winter,there were 2 pied wagtails here at the same time,jackdaws were walking about here and at times coming quite close, house martins were buzzing about flying low over the water ,I took quite a few pics of the water/jackdaws and it was hard to get a pic without an out of focus house martin in it,there was a bird with chesnut colours on its back which landed directly opposite the hole in the hedge here, I thought it might be a linnet but looking at the heavily cropped pic below(first one) it has some light markings around its eye and is quite light on its underbody,the chesnut marking were quite strong looking through my binos,i had my first positive sighting of the lesser whitethroat today :t:, I heard it calling and had to wait a while before it showed but a new species here for me here ,there were some carrion crow youngsters at buzzard wood (I don't think the buzzards bred this year)I also saw the shellduck family below the earth viewing point ,5 youngsters here all diving when a plane came into land, the 2 resident mutes were in front of the hide,another 3 mutes were on the other side of the pipe keeping their distance

 

[Stonefaction]

Do you have any other photos of that wagtail? I'm only half awake but the back doesn't look very grey (more greenish) and there appears to be a lit of strong yellow where there should be black. I suspect you have found another new bird for the park - one of the Yellow Wagtail subspecies, but I will have a proper look in the morning when I'm a bit more awake. If it is, then you've squeezed it in just before the 2nd anniversary of the park opening.

The other bird I get a feeling of common whitethroat rufous wing colour with the white etc possibly being vegetation in front of the bird though again, the half awake and viewing on my phone is my get-out clause. Will have a proper look later.

 

[kawwauser]

hi barry, I have 4 pics of the wagtail, ill email you the original uncropped pics later,

 

[Stonefaction]

Thanks, although if you post them on here too we might get a few more opinions too. Might be worth popping them into the ID forum thread. I'm reasonably confident that it is indeed species 131 for the park and another bird that has eluded me so far (will pop down to the park after work to have a look for it). I've no idea of which subspieces though. Seems to be a lot of overlap.

Having looked on the PC, I think you are probably right with Linnet for your other bird.

 

[Caledonian]

The wagtail is almost certainly a Blue headed Yellow Wagtail Good record especially during this time of year...
Grey headed yellow wagtail is not jet ruled out..

 

[Stonefaction]

Thanks, Rik. Unfortunately, there was no sign of the bird when I visited after work tonight. It was relatively quiet although the woman whose Dalmation was running amok miles ahead and behind her may have played a part in that. Did have 3 raptor species in less than a minute from the Lochan - first a Kestrel hovering over the railway line opposite then a Buzzard with half a Rabbit being harassed by a Herring Gull as it tried to gain height. Eventually a Carrion Crow joined in and actually grabbed the prey from the Buzzards talons, although it did drop to the ground with the Crow attempting to catch up but failing. Lastly the male Sparrowhawk drifted over. Up until then I hadn't seen any raptors. There were a few Jackdaws, a couple of Pied Wagtails, some Woodpigeons, a female Chaffinch, a Stock Dove and a male Mallard at the Lochan, but the Stock Dove was probably the best bird. Lots of House Martins and a few Swallows zooming around hawking for insects with just a couple of Swifts a bit higher in the sky.

The full list on my first visit in the park's 3rd year (opened 2 years ago today) was -
Black Headed Gull, Buzzard (1), Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Cormorant (1), Goldfinch (2), Grey Heron (1), Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow (1m), Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet (1), Mallard, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail (2), Feral Pigeon, Shelduck, Song Thrush (2), Sparrowhawk (1m), Starling (1), Stock Dove (1), Swallow, Swift, Whitethroat (2), Willow Warbler (2), Woodpigeon (8), Yellowhammer (1)

131. Blue Headed (Yellow) Wagtail

 

[kawwauser]

sorry the wagtail didn,t show for you barry,it only showed briefly yesterday before disappearing over to the left,i put the pic above in the q&a thread to see what people think about it,another lifer for me

 

[Stonefaction]

Rather quiet down at the park late this afternoon, with very little birdsong, except for distant Skylarks. The Lochan was very quiet with only a couple of Jackdaws and a Woodpigeon around the edges. A family of Great Tits were by the hide. A single Lapwing was in the bay with a few Oystercatchers and 3 Curlews. A lot more Bees around though, and a small white moth that may have been a Silver Ground Carpet flitting around between the car park and the soil test plots.

Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Curlew, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Herring Gull, House Martin, Jackdaw, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Mallard, Oystercatcher, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Shelduck, Song Thrush, Swallow, Swift, Whitethroat, Woodpigeon.

The documentation for the Park and Ride proposal is now all online
http://idoxwam.dundeecity.gov.uk/id...s.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=MOLJ6UGC68000

The ecological assessment in particular is worth a read.
http://idoxwam.dundeecity.gov.uk/id...0360_FULM-09-ECOLOGICAL_ASSESSMENT-475007.pdf

Objection have to be made before the 19th July. The more people that do so, the better the chances (which do appear rather slim) of halting this crazy decision. There is no mention of Lesser Whitethroat in the ecological assessment despite its local rarity status (possibly overlooked owing to its National UK status).

No consideration at all of insect species as far as I could see - maybe need to get hunting for a new/rare species (if a previously undiscovered bird can show up in a city bigger than Dundee, then we should be able to find a rare insect species or two on site..... at least in theory).

 

[kawwauser]

I had an hour in the park tonight between 8.30 and 9.30,i didn't expect to see much with the strong winds but 20 species seen,swift/swallow/house martin/herring gull/woodpigeon/carrion crows/jackdaws were flying about,a single juv black headed gull was on the lochan,2 stock doves were feeding in the corner,in front of the hide lapwings/oystercatchers/curlews/lssb gulls/mallards/1 pair of shellduck with 2 ducklings,1 heron,i took pics of white birds sitting on the far rocks to check them out,turned out to be sandwich terns,chaffinch/song thrush/blackbird groundfeeding at the car park

 

[Stonefaction]

Weather-wise it was a really good day at the park.

However a few people ruined it with their "I'll do what the %$&* I like" attitudes. One young-ish guy with 2 Spaniels and an a couple in their late 40s/early 50s with a Dalmation and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel - this pair allowed both dogs to run around out of control and out of their sight, although at one point while in their view the Dalmation did its business and they left it. Later the wee dog went missing (headed towards Invergowrie) as they were near the top of the hill despite it being "under control" as the woman had claimed when I pointed out that they were meant to be under close control.

The majority of dog-owners are fine when you point out that their dogs should be under control, but days like today (plus the threat of the Park and Ride) are rapidly making me lose my interest in visiting the park and I'm considering maybe finding myself a new "patch", although finding one without dog-walkers is highly unlikely, but at least I won't be as involved.

Highlight of the birds seen was at least 11 Common Sandpipers and also a flock of around 20 Lapwings.

Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Sandpiper (11+), Cormorant (1), Curlew, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lapwing (20+), Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Mallard, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Redshank (2), Sandwich Tern, Shelduck (1), Siskin (1), Swallow, Swift, teal (1), Whitethroat, Woodpigeon

 

[bongofury]

The majority of dog-owners are fine when you point out that their dogs should be under control, but days like today (plus the threat of the Park and Ride) are rapidly making me lose my interest in visiting the park and I'm considering maybe finding myself a new "patch", although finding one without dog-walkers is highly unlikely, but at least I won't be as involved.

I agree with your comments and dog-walkers. They shouldn't have to be reminded / informed to keep their dogs under control in a nature park anyway.

You have had some great sightings at Riverside and the park's list is superb, so stick with it:t: And by building a list and proving what the site has to offer, it might help avoid the P&R being built?

 

[kawwauser]

11.15 am visit

3 herons having a noisy mid air tussle over the generator area,male reedbunting and a whitethroat also singing here ,buzzard wood area had greenfinch/goldfinch/chaffinch/wren/dunnock/blackbird/woodpigeon /willow warbler/plus a long tailed tit with a juv in tow,a sparrowhawk was gliding high above the lochan,other birds seen
mallards/jackdaw/carrion crow/black headed gull/lesser black backed gull/herring gull/shellduck/redshank/curlew/oystercatcher/lapwings/7 common sandpipers/linnet/sandwich terns/house martin/swallow/swift/song thrush

 

[kawwauser]

12.30 visit,

quite quiet in the park today,i didn,t time my visit well and the tide was fully out plus some machinery was working in the dump area sending up a dust cloud which covered the car park area and extended as far as buzzard wood,
21 species seen
the male reedbunting was singing on his favoured perch on the ground near the generator,2 young goldfinches were perched below him,only saw woodpigeon at the wooded area (lots of dust)on the way to the lochen I passed a male yellowhammer and heard a skylark,at the lochan 4 stock doves were in the grass with some mallards and jackdaws,a single pied wagtail was feeding on the algae,house martins and swifts were drinking here,11 sandwich terns were out in the bay ,the redshank numbers are increasing,other birds seen
bh gull/lssb gull/herring gull/meadow pipit(1)/lapwing/curlew/oystercatcher/carrion crow

the soc has a an outing here tomorrow ,there will be a lot more eyes and some scopes ,hopefully they will find something new

 

[kawwauser]

40+ dunlin in the bay today,lapwing /curlew/oystercatcher numbers in double figures,4 common sandpipers plus 1 mute resting in the mud,lots of redshanks plus the usual gulls in the bay,not seen any shellduck creshes this year,i heard a bird calling at the trees beside the boggy area, it was a single call and sounded like a young bird of prey,after much web searching I finaly found it ,sparrowhawk ,first time I have heard one calling ,not sure if it was a youngster or adult though,later at the scree area a female sparrowhawk landed on the corner post had a quick look and took off,(this is a goldfinch hot spot)a buzzard was flying about being harassed by both carrion crows and jackdaws,a group of 14 long tailed tits crossed the path near the boggy area, other birds seen
whitethroat/willow warbler/robin/greenfinch/goldfinch/heron/swifts/house martins/yellowhammer/woodpigeon/chaffinch

a fox was creeping through the grass at buzzard wood and the butterflys/bees numbers have really increased