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A trip out to Broughty Ferry and Balmossie in the early April sunshine, in search of new additions to my 2026Dundee150 list.
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Red Kite on the house list this afternoon😀. My 8th raptor from my very urban living-room in Dundee (Kestrel, Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, White-tailed Eagle, Osprey, Peregrine, Merlin the others - not counting escapee Saker). #BirdingScotland
Common Sandpiper & Pintail at Clatto today. Meadow Pipit & Wheatear at Dundee Airport. Common Sand & House Martin (seen over Macalpine Rd) new for 2026 Dundee150 list (116 & 117). Still 7 Wheatears at airport + Mipit influx.
No Whitethroat, Sedge/Grasshopper/Garden Warblers yet.
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The Law and Balgay Hill then on to Riverside Nature Park, before revisiting the hills again on the way home.
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Counted 9 Wheatears at west end of Dundee Airport runway today. Not quite 18 from Monday found by Mark Wilkinson, or 11 by Keith Edwards) but certainly biggest group in 1 spot I've seen. Looks to be an important feeding area for spring migrants of the species in early/mid-April.
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A Saturday morning trip to Clatto in search of Swallows and Sand Martins.
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Another surprise corvid at Riverside Nature Park in Dundee.
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Mid-November to the end of March walks to/from work.
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Thanks, John.
Had a listen to all the recordings on the list. A few of them appeared to be just misidentified House Sparrow/Robin/Blackbird. Not convinced by the Barnacle Goose (single distant call) and unsure with the Coot (do know they turn apparently up regularly on overnight recordings).
Assuming I did it right, the Whitethroat recording sounded like it was a Robin.
AI still has a LONG way to go before it is anything like trustworthy. Someone posted a link to these 'listening stations' on FB recently, & there were over 300 species 'recorded' in Dundee. City Quay was a veritable hotspot for North American birds, & Lochee had such goodies as Capercaillie!
It missed on this particular attempt, but was successful on the next one - though it did take 3 or 4 attempts to get airborne with it.
Not on that dive, but the next one it took 3 or 4 attempts to get out of the water. The reason being a rather large flatfish.
Would think bird's wings were more the 'arms', and the legs were the legs.
Still a bit early for Whitethroat (by a couple of weeks). My own firsts over past 3 years in Dundee. 2025 - 18/4, 2024 - 27/4, 2023 - 29/4. Not impossible obviously, but I’m sceptical.
That was pretty much my own reaction when I got home and looked through the day's photos...😀
My first Osprey of 2026, today at Riverside Nature Park. Lucky catch with the photo. Also a Wheatear at the airport (numbers 113 and 114 for 2026 Dundee150 list). No Willow Warbler unfortunately.
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A wee wander along the Dighty Burn.
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Back to Broughty Ferry for yet another attempt at this year's 'bogey bird'.
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A new species for my 2026 Dundee 150 list, though not one of those I was actually looking for, at Riverside Nature Park.
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In search of Jack Snipe around sunrise, then a return trip to the Law in the afternoon.
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The Dundee WBD was very obvious even at a distance. @lainy.bsky.social who found it, also went to see the Tayport GNDs and remarked that GND seemed less impressive size-wise than they previously had. Wish Dundee WBD had lingered longer, but grateful it stayed as long as it did.
Red Throated as well in last pic? If so, shows the size difference between smallest and largest Diver species.
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Another trip to the top of the Law for more displaying raptors (and some insects of interest too).
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Decent looking candidate 'Nordic' Jackdaw (Monedula race) at Riverside Nature Park, Dundee today 1/4/26.