 |
| Lesser Whitethroat |
 |
| Red Backed Shrike |
 |
| Moonset over the Tay 5am |
On June 18th 2011, Riverside Nature Park was formally opened to the public. Developed on a former landfill site on the southwestern extremity of the city, the park had been delayed from opening owing to the presence of methane gas below the surface. Until Dundee Council took action to vent off this gas, the park was unable to open to the public.
I had stumbled on the site a year or so earlier, looking for somewhere to photograph a rather colourful sunset from, ignoring the "no entry" sign for a few minutes to get closer to Invergowrie Bay. My next encounter was while walking back from Kingoodie a few months later. I stopped to watch a Peregrine launch itself over the bay sending clouds of waders and gulls skywards.
When the local bus company briefly ran buses along Riverside Avenue to and from the City Centre, I would try to see what was on the flooded pool in the field by the road. Mute Swans and Mallards mostly, but sometimes Teal and the odd wader or two. By now, the park was gaining some publicity in the local press as it neared the official opening, and I considered maybe visiting from time to time given its proximity to my work. I remarked to a colleague on the bus that it looked like a good place to maybe get a Shrike. Little did I realise how prophetic that statement was.
The day the park opened was overcast and light rain didn't really show the park in its best light. It was still very much a work in progress, as it is to this day. I still managed to see 35 species in what was a relatively small area including an unexpected sighting of Stock Doves - my first in Dundee.
Two days later, another surprise with an Osprey over Invergowrie Bay and Lesser Redpolls in the park. The Osprey probably sealed my decision to adopt the site as my "patch" and to visit as often as I could and record the bird species seen as best as I could.
I posted in the Tayforth birding thread on BirdForum for a few months, and another local birder Charles Rough, also posted his sightings from time to time. Between the two of us we had seen 67 species by 6th October. Curlew Sandpiper, Whimbrel and Stonechat being some of the less common.
A separate thread on BirdForum was started and we continued to add new birds to the increasing list. I attended a meeting aimed at setting up a "Friends of Riverside Nature Park" group and somehow ended up volunteering to be on the committee at a later meeting. This has brought its own responsibilities and opportunities including leading a couple of guided walks, including a 4am start for a Dawn Chorus event.
At the outset I had estimated that maybe around 90 species of birds were possible, but that seeing 100 species would be unlikely. By the first anniversary of the park opening we had managed 92 species. As word spread more people started to visit, mostly with dogs, but some with children, and others with binoculars. A Buzzard raised the profile of the park by taking exception to a few joggers and cyclists, reportedly "attacking" them. The bird in question had young close by, and was warning off those it considered a threat to its offspring. I encountered the bird a couple of times, with only a half-hearted semi-swoop about 10 feet up, talons not even extended, the nearest I came to being attacked. I kept moving and left her in peace and she went back to perching in a tree while watching me till I was out of her sight.
We also had a few traveller caravans take up residence in the car park for a week or so, which did put people off from visiting, but thankfully it hasn't become a regular occurrence. Bird-wise, a Mediterranean Gull youngster was my first patch "rarity" find in August 2012. At the end of that month, I found my first "lifer" in the park, when a later than usual departure from the park, having finally bumped into Charles Rough at the hide and chatting for a while, meant I was in the right place at the right time to find a Lesser Whitethroat. Given the date, I suspected that the bird had probably been in the park all summer, rather than being a migrant passing through. I hoped that in 2013 I would be able to prove my suspicion. While trying to find a Mealy Redpoll in May 2013 we discovered a calling Lesser Whitethroat and within a few minutes suspected a second bird. Two birds were seen carrying food into an area of the park nearby around 3-4 weeks later.
Within a few weeks we had reached number 100 - a couple of Tree Pipits passing over while watching "vis-mig" (or visible migration) over the park. I had noticed winter thrushes the previous Autumn/Winter passing over heading westwards following the river, so was trying to see if it was something that happened regularly. Meadow Pipits and Skylarks were the most common vis-mig birds, but Tree Sparrows, Siskins and assorted tits and finches were also seen passing over.
More wader species were added including Ruff and Spotted Redshank, and we had a purple patch with birds being added regularly to the list, almost at a rate of one per visit. Scaup, Little Grebe, Magpie, Spotted Flycatcher, White Tailed Eagle, Guillemot and Snipe were all birds that weren't always easy to see around Dundee but which were seen at/from/over the park, pushing the list upwards.
Plans for a park and ride scheme went on display in November 2012. These showed that a large chunk of the eastern part of the site was under threat from the development if it went ahead. A few locals set up a petition and objections were submitted to the Council by myself and others concerned by the threat to the park. Rather surprisingly late in 2013, Dundee councillors refused to second the motion proposing the acceptance of the plan at a planning meeting and we on the Friends group breathed a huge sigh of relief and looked forward to developing the park, rather than worrying about losing a large tract.
Another surprise find in November 2012 was two Long Eared Owls roosting in the trees behind the car park. I managed great views and a few nice photos of one of the birds, but the birds were not seen again the following day or since. Short Eared Owl had been seen a week or two before, overflying the park pursued by Crows.
By year end we had reached 120 species (Woodcock), far exceeding my prediction of 90 species. The next addition was found by Ian Ford (Chairman of the Friends of Riverside Nature Park group) and it was a "proper" rarity - a Green Winged Teal. This bird drew a few more birders into the park, and word was starting to spread that it was worth checking for rarities. Next up was a Jack Snipe found by Ian and myself in one of the flooded areas of the park. A Green Woodpecker and a Mealy Redpoll were the next additions - the Mealy being identified from photos I'd taken of a pale-ish Redpoll.
Next up was a biggie, albeit briefly, when a visiting birder from Norfolk found a Common Crane in Invergowrie Bay. One had been seen earlier in the week near Errol, and three others were at Loch of Strathbeg. Later in the evening of the sighting four were reported at Strathbeg. It was through a rather fortuitous route that we even heard about the bird. A friend, Gus Guthrie was chatting to the birder in the hide at Loch of Kinnordy (Gus's patch) and he happened to mention the sighting to Gus who passed it on to myself. That same evening I was helping out with a guided walk but the bird had flown on by the time we arrived (oblivious to it having been there a short time before). It would have been a very nice addition to the evening's visit.
Ian Ford found the next goodie at the park too, a Wood Sandpiper by the Lochan. Unfortunately for me, the bird had also moved on when I visited the park in the rain, after finishing work. Better was to come a week and a bit later when Charles Rough chanced upon a cracking male Red Backed Shrike in the park. While twitching the bird, Ian Ford spotted a Marsh Harrier circling above the park. Numbers 127 and 128. I managed to see the Shrike in the evening, having drawn a rather frustrating blank during a rushed visit at lunchtime from work. Another lifer for me.
A Fulmar was number 129 and number 130 was added when I visited the park in the hope of managing to find something to take us to a nice round figure of 130 before the 2nd anniversary of the park. A Little Egret flying from the bay out towards the river. It was my own 113th species at my patch in less than 2 years. Amazingly, we weren't finished with Charles photographing what he assumed to be just a Grey Wagtail at the Lochan. Looking at the photo on my phone at 3am while struggling to sleep, I thought it looked a bit odd, so off I went to consult the Collins Bird Guide. I suspected Blue Headed (Yellow) Wagtail, so I emailed Charles to see if he had other photos. He sent them to me and bird number 131 was clinched the day before the 2nd anniversary.
Since then, Ian has added Yellow Browed Warbler to the list during the larger than usual Autumn influx to the country.
The 132 species seen are listed below...
Cormorant, Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Shelduck, Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Osprey,
Kestrel, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Knot, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Black Tailed Godwit, Bar Tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Curlew,
Redshank, Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, Black Headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Herring Gull, Sandwich Tern, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove,
Woodpigeon, Swift, Skylark, Sand Martin, Swallow, House Martin, Meadow Pipit, Pied/White Wagtail, Wren, Dunnock,
Robin, Stonechat, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Whitethroat, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Long Tailed Tit, Coal Tit,
Blue Tit, Great Tit, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch,
Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, Bullfinch, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting, Goosander, Pink Footed Goose, Wheatear, Mistle Thrush, Goldcrest,
Grey Partridge, Pheasant, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Fieldfare, Redwing, Grey Wagtail, Siskin, Whooper Swan, Red Breasted Merganser,
Goldeneye, Greylag Goose, Dipper, Brambling, Peregrine, Shoveler, Pintail, Sedge Warbler, Little Gull, Common Tern,
Tufted Duck, Eider, Turnstone, Mediterranean Gull, Long Tailed Duck, Red Kite, Lesser Whitethroat, Canada Goose, Ruff, Tree Pipit,
Spotted Redshank, Spotted Flycatcher, Scaup, Guillemot, Little Grebe, Shag, Magpie, Jay, Tree Sparrow, Collared Dove,
White Tailed Eagle, Brent Goose, Snipe, Treecreeper, Kingfisher, Ringed Plover, waxwing, Short Eared Owl, Long Eared Owl, Woodcock,
Green Winged Teal, Jack Snipe, Green Woodpecker, Mealy Redpoll, Crane, Wood Sandpiper, Red Backed Shrike, Marsh Harrier, Fulmar, Little Egret,
Blue Headed (Yellow) Wagtail, Yellow Browed Warbler
Not bad for a wee patch bordered by a main road, and airport an industrial estate and Invergowrie Bay. It isn't just birds, but mammals, insects, plants, fungi etc....
The Birdforum thread can be found here...
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=213067
I have published an ebook on the park called "Nature Park : The first two years" which can be found on the Blurb website.
http://store.blurb.co.uk/ebooks/400461-nature-park
or via itunes bookstore.
Photos from the park can be seen on my flickr stream.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stonefaction/sets/72157628116956133/
I try to visit the park at least once a week in summer and a couple of times a month in winter. If you do visit, and see anything new, please let me know (or post on BirdForum).
UPDATE : Within an hour of having posted this, Charles Rough posted a report on BirdForum of a visit today where he managed to find number 133 for the park, in the shape of an Iceland Gull. A hoped for park tick now added. Just need it to hang around so I can see it now...