0138 : Around Dundee With A New Toy (5/4/15)

Wren

Mallard

Moorhen

Goldcrest

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Mallard

Carrion Crow

Blue Tit

Long Tailed Tit

Woodpigeon

Carrion Crow

Feral Pigeon

Magpie

Mallard

Tufted Duck

Lesser Black Backed Gull

Mallard

Pink Footed Goose

Herring Gull

Call Duck

Dunnock

House Sparrow

Red Throated Diver

Red Throated Diver

Red Throated Diver

Cormorant

Carrion Crow

Carrion Crow

Cormorants & Herring Gulls

Red Throated Diver

Red Throated Diver

Lesser Black Backed Gull

Small Tortoiseshell

Robin

Woodpigeon

Blackbird
Having had a bit of a chance to play around with my new Nikon P900 bridge camera with is rather amazing 83x zoom the previous day in less than ideal conditions during a trip to Aberdeen with Doug Lucas, and also without having had even a cursory glance at the instructions for the camera, I was intrigued to find out what it could really do in better conditions. With blue skies and sunshine forecast for Easter Sunday I decided I would get up relatively early and head out with just the camera and a pair of binoculars for a wander around Dundee and test the camera out.

I set the camera to bird-watching mode and headed out into the early morning sunshine at around 0835. The streets were quiet but thankfully there seemed to be plenty of birds to see and photograph. The usual Herring Gulls were around. A Carrion Crow was up on a rooftop, and a Blue Tit rather surprisingly was flitting around on the wall of a tenement block. Feral Pigeons were on another roof nearby.

Heading for Clepington Road I managed to add Blackbird, Starling and House Sparrow to the list. Woodpigeon followed a minute or so later. Heading down Graham Street, a Greenfinch flew around in circles displaying above the road. House Sparrows were in their usual hedge and adjacent garden with one or two on the roof. Further down towards the Kingsway a Goldfinch flew over but there was no sign of Magpies, nor any gulls on the football pitches.

I crossed the Kingsway and into Caird Park and down through the golf course. Chaffinches, Dunnocks and Great and Blue Tits were feeding in the trees and below on the ground, flying back up as I got closer. A Song Thrush sang from trees beyond the Gelly Burn. A Blackbird picked around below the bushes. Heading down towards the ponds a few Woodpigeons sat up in the trees and a Carrion Crow pair overflew. A Wren sang from across the burn and I decided to take a few photos although it was against the light.

At the ponds there was no sign of the Kingfisher though the dog walkers already out and about possibly played a part in that. There were a few Mallard pairs and Moorhens still around though. I heard Bullfinches again here but failed to see them despite trying for a few minutes. I did succeed in seeing and photographing a Goldcrest halfway up a large conifer, though I forgot to dial in a bit of exposure compensation so the resultant photo was a bit blown-out in places. Still it showed the reach quite well.

A few Blue Tits were around in the rhododendrons nearby. I heard the call of a Great Spotted Woodpecker and fortunately saw it fly in and land at the very top of another conifer. It was a female and showed really well, providing another test for the camera which it passed easily. A bit more searching around the nearby area gave another Woodpigeon, a few more Blackbirds and through the trees beyond the graveyard, a Jay which didn't stay long enough for a photo. A pair of Mallards were in the trees by the graveyard, and probably the same pair flew in and landed among the overgrown area to the north of the graveyard a few minutes later.

By now I was starting to really feel the heat, having clearly put on a few too many layers for the sunshine and temperature. I decided that I may as well head for Swannie Ponds before heading back home to shed those extra layers. By the athletics stadium/golf course junction a Carrion Crow was collecting nest material by the side of the road, its beak full of moss and twigs. In the trees and hedge nearby was a pair of Blue Tits and a single Great Tit. I suspect the Blue tits had a nest site close by.

I headed uphill to the Kingsway stopping just before crossing the road to investigate the sound of Long Tailed Tits behind me. A pair of these wee birds fed in a small tree along with a Blue Tit. A few Woodpigeons were feeding on the football pitches. A Carrion Crow took the opportunity afforded by the traffic lights by the Forfar Road junction being at red to check out some roadkill, hopping back off the road again when the traffic started flowing again.

I wandered up Mains Loan hoping to see Magpies somewhere by Castle Terrace. However, I was surprised to see a pair in the trees in the old Keiller's site watching a cat prowling around below them. A Carrion Crow and a flock of Feral Pigeons shared the metal framework of an old roof. I remembered to dial in a bit of exposure compensation and it seemed to improve the results on the subsequent photos.

The heat seemed to be increasing even more so it was a bit of a struggle to force myself to take the 5 minute detour to Swannie Ponds to add a few extra species to the day list, knowing that there wouldn't be a huge amount to add. A few Jackdaws were attacking a Carrion Crow which seemed to be taking an interest in one of the chimneys on a house at the crossroads. Possibly their nest site?

As expected the ponds were rather quiet with the Black Headed Gulls having now moved on to their breeding sites, leaving mostly younger Herring Gulls and the incoming Lesser Black Backed Gulls which arrive for the summer. There also appeared to be fewer Mallards and Tufted Ducks. There was only one of the Mute Swans visible on the water, but no sign of any Moorhens. A Robin sang from a garden wall across the road. The Call Duck was once again getting a hard time from one of the other drake Mallards but had taken up a rather close position by the side of a female.

I heard the calling of geese so hurried to a position where I could see past the trees and saw a rather large skein of Pink Footed Geese heading in the general direction of the ponds. This gave me the chance to test the P900 on birds in flight. It performed reasonably well, though it seemed to have quite a long 'write time' to the card which could be a problem when something rarer than the geese was around and more photos were wanted in a short period of time. Video might be a better choice in that scenario.

I headed for home around 1020 picking up a few more Carrion Crows, Herring Gulls, Woodpigeons and Starlings on the way. At home I changed into a hoodie and t-shirt and headed back out intending to pop down to City Quay to see how the camera handled the whites of Dave the Diver in strong sunshine and to perhaps try out the video mode. Woodpigeons, Blackbirds, Herring Gulls and Carrion Crows were seen on the way down to Victoria Road. I noticed a big cruise liner in at the docks so took a general photo of the boat, then pulled back to the 24mm equivalent end of the zoom, then zoomed all the way in to the 2000mm end, being able to read the numbers on the side of the ship's lifeboats and some lettering on the aerials and antennae on the superstructure.

A Dunnock was singing from a small tree off to my left so I took a couple of photos as well as of a female House Sparrow below. On my way down to City Quay I took a few photos of a Lufthansa Airbus A380 overflying, which was also reasonable quality despite the obvious distance. A Woodpigeon in a tree across the dual carriageway opposite the Olympia was also a relatively tricky shot that the camera handled quite well. I zoomed in on a very distant Feral Pigeon also and could see enough detail to confirm the species without any trouble. Who needs a scope when you have one of these?

Into City Quay where I was pleasantly surprised to find Dave the Diver in the first area of the quay near the North Carr lightship. I headed round the quay to get the sun behind me for taking photos of the bird. With some exposure compensation the shots were well exposed even on the automatic settings used in bird-watching mode. Pretty impressive. A Cormorant which popped up nearby gave the challenge of getting some detail in the all dark plumage. Again the camera performed well.

I thought I would check out the outer quay after spending a while photographing the Red Throated Diver in a variety of poses at a variety of distances and even managed a few videos. The built-in image stabilisation performs really well too with both photos and video being possible at quite low speeds hand-held. I tried a photo of the war memorial on Dundee Law and despite the distance of around 1.3 miles (and a spot of heat haze) I found I could read most of the lettering on the side in at least one of the photos taken, although it wasn't crystal clear.

I took a few photos of the Herring Gulls and Cormorants by the dry dock then wandered along to check out the outer quay. A pair of Linnets overflew and a Pied Wagtail put in a fleeting appearance but the quay itself was devoid of birds. I headed round to the river for a closer look at the cruise liner "Magellan" which was being prepared for a tour of the Norwegian fjords.

I walked along the path in front of the flats to check out 'submarine rock'. Herring Gulls, Cormorants and a small flotilla of five Eiders were seen, with the Eiders hauling out onto the seaweed covered rocks. A Carrion Crow perched on a lamp post allowed me a series of photos as I walked past. A pair of Oystercatchers flew low over the river and into the quay area from the direction of the rocks but I hadn't seen them when I had scanned, so they may have flown right across the river.

A Black Headed Gull in summer plumage was a nice surprise as I headed up onto the Tay roadbridge to walk out a bit to get a better angle on the 'Magellan'. I took a few photos of the birds on the rocks from the bridge but there was a lot of heat distortion though the birds were identifiable despite this. I walked around halfway across and was passed by a couple of Small Tortoiseshell butterflies crossing the river using the safety net of the bridge if they found it tough going.

I headed back to get a few more photos of Dave in City Quay, and a few more video clips. He seemed rather agitated about something, rolling onto his back when bathing and thrashing around with his feet in the air, something I hadn't seen him do before. He also seemed to pull at his damaged wing with a bit more purpose as he preened. Hopefully whatever was causing his apparent discomfort doesn't amount to anything serious and he will continue his moult into breeding plumage. Already the thin pinstripes down the back of his neck are showing quite well.

A group Of Herring Gulls dropped in to the same area of the quay to bathe and laze around, with only one seeming to give Dave any attention whereupon Dave dived underwater and swam off a short distance away from the gulls. I photographed a distant Carrion Crow atop the flagpole on the DPL building. The battery level was looking low so I decided to head for home before it died completely. Rather than go straight home I decided to try the Howff for a few more bird photos in the sunshine, using the camera until the battery life actually did run out.

Heading up towards the bus station I photographed a pair of Lesser Black Backed Gulls on a shop roof though the angle wasn't great. There were more Herring Gulls on the shed roofs where the buses are stored. I wandered through the City Centre up Reform Street and round to the Howff graveyard. It was rather quiet with only a few birds actively singing or calling. A Small Tortoiseshell butterfly gave me the chance to try and photograph a butterfly using the zoom. This proved rather tricky, though I have since found the camera seems to perform better for close-ups at the lower end of the zoom. I'll know better next time.

A Robin, Chaffinch, Woodpigeon and Blackbirds gave me opportunities for a few photos among the old gravestones. Within a few minutes though the battery gave up the ghost. Having taken in the region of around 350 photos and a handful of videos this wasn't too bad (I usually take a lot less photos when I'm out than the 300+, so battery life isn't likely to be an issue too often - though I have ordered a second battery just in case, though Amazon deciding that Dundee isn't on the UK mainland meant that Wex got my order after two failed attempts via Amazon even though their customer service agent assured me the problem was sorted after the first attempt. Anyway I digress....).

I headed for home, contemplating heading out to Broughty Ferry with the DSLR to catch the Magellan sailing out at around 4 o'clock, but having been out since 8:30 in the sun I decided that checking out the day's results was much more interesting.

Although as much of a general hands-on test of the P900 and its capabilities as anything else I had managed to see a reasonable 36 species, though none were particularly unusual or new for my year-list.
Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Cormorant, Dunnock, Eider, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Red Throated Diver, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Song Thrush, Starling, Tufted Duck, Woodpigeon, Wren.

Overall the camera exceeded expectations overall with the clarity of the photos coupled withe the range of the zoom, versatility and the image stabilisation being major plusses. The photos themselves can handle a small amount of cropping/zooming in but lose details fairly quickly, as expected with a bridge camera. However with the 2000mm equivalent reach cropping shouldn't be necessary too often. The 'write time' was the one frustration, though I should probably try a faster card. As I don't generally 'machine gun' photos it should rarely be an issue. I was able to upload the majority of photos taken, without any processing whatsoever, to facebook.

Although the quality is less than that of a D-SLR photo cropped in to give a similar size subject it is certainly good enough for uploading the results online. It isn't perfect but it is incredibly versatile and would probably make a great holiday camera covering all bases in a light package - it feels quite light compared to a small D-SLR with kit lens and is comfortable to hold and use. The weight feels similar to a pair of binoculars when hung around the neck, so doesn't place too much strain when wandering around in the sun for hours. Despite the few limitations (expected given the inherent compromises that a bridge camera has) I'd probably rate the camera at least a 7.5/10, possibly even an 8. It will certainly see plenty of use, despite me also wielding a D-SLR when I'm out birding, and indeed has already been pressed into service, performing remarkably well in low light, even managing to shoot video of a Water Rail half an hour after sunset.

If you can afford one, and don't want the 'hassle'/weight/expense of a D-SLR set-up, but would like to record what you see when out watching wildlife then a Nikon P900 is far from the worst option you could choose.

0137 : An Aberdeen Afternoon (4/4/15)

Hooded Crow (hybrid) (P900)

Mallard (P900)

Chiffchaff (P900)

Pied Wagtail (P900)

Grey Wagtail (P900)

Grey Wagtail (P900)

Dipper (P900)
 
Herring Gull

Herring Gull

Blackbird

Blackbird

Puffin

Puffin

Puffin

Cormorant

Cormorant

Puffin

Puffin

Fulmar

Puffin

Herring Gull

Fulmar

Last year I was contacted via Facebook by a fellow birder from Dundee who said he'd been reading, and enjoying, this blog and that it was giving him new ideas of where to go and what to expect when he got there. As this was feedback (and positive too) from an independent source it was doubly welcome. I added the birder, Doug Lucas, to my friends list on Facebook and we chatted a few times about birding trips, best places to see particular species etc. I also offered Doug the option of heading out birding together if we could find a time that suited us both.

As Doug works shifts the opportunities to do so were rather limited but he contacted me recently to see if I fancied a trip out on Saturday 4th April. I did indeed, but had arranged delivery of a new camera for that day (a Nikon P900 bridge camera with 83x zoom and what looked like pretty decent picture quality on review pages - to replace my fairly recently bought Canon SX50 which has been rather under-utilised). Doug fancied a trip to Aberdeen to try and see the Harlequin duck which has been a fixture on the river Don in Aberdeen since it was discovered in January. So did I. Between the two of us we managed to come up with a plan which was basically if the camera arrived before noon we would get cracking on our outing. If however, it hadn't shown up by then, Doug would go himself and I'd sit at home cursing courier companies.

Just in case of an early delivery I was up and more or less organised for the trip before 8am. I had a bit of a look out the window at about 0810 to see what was around, with there usually being a reasonable selection the earlier in the day that it is. Herring Gulls and a single Lesser Black Backed Gull high overhead, Blackbirds in the street, Jackdaws on chimneys opposite and a few Starlings whizzing around from perch to perch. A Woodpigeon clattered over, a Blue Tit called from a nearby tree. A group of Carrion Crows chased each other around. A Goldfinch calling drew my eye to the sight of the bird flying past. The Jackdaws flew around in pairs. A Feral Pigeon flew up onto my roof. The first House Sparrow of the day followed a few minutes later.

A few more spells at the window throughout the morning gave similar species to the above though the views dwindled as the morning progressed. As time wore on it looked increasingly likely I would be stuck at home all day waiting on the delivery. However at 10 minutes to 12, a van turned into my street and lo and behold moments later there was a knock at the door, and my parcel had arrived just in time. I discovered that the battery was charged so decided to take the camera with me to give it at least a bit of a try-out. I messaged Doug and within a few minutes we were underway.

The road to Aberdeen doesn't tend to offer up too much variety bird-wise and it was fairly standard fare for us as we chatted on the road to the north-east. A few Buzzards, Herring Gulls, Lapwings and Oystercatchers and Woodpigeons but little else. Nearing Aberdeen we added a single Magpie flying across the road and a few Rooks in a field. A Lesser Black Backed Gull on a lamp post as we drove along Beach Boulevard was another species seen while en route.

We found Seaton Park a bit quicker than on my first attempt at doing so and we drove into the car park past a flock of Carrion Crows by the entrance. Among them was a Hooded Crow lookalike. Once out of the car I tried for a few photos of the Hooded Crow hybrid using the P900. I zoomed in all the way (not realising that the digital zoom was switched on), and managed a few frame filling photos. Unfortunately these were slightly blurred and not very sharp. The reach was very impressive though.

We headed for the river to look for the hoped for Harlequin Duck. A Magpie or two, a Chaffinch, Blue Tits, Great Tit, Herring Gulls and a few Oystercatchers among the crows on the football pitches were seen. There was no sign of the duck on the river with only a pair of Mallards actually out on the water. Some activity on the opposite bank caught our attention and we found a pair of Grey Wagtails and a pair of Pied Wagtails in close proximity. A calling Chiffchaff was finally spotted in a tree opposite.

We wandered upriver a bit until we bumped into a couple of birders who said there was no sign of the Harlequin Duck. We decided to check downriver instead and headed that way. A Robin and a few Woodpigeons, as well as a Wren were all we had to show for the efforts before we again ran into a couple of birders who had drawn a blank in the direction we were headed. So, an alternative plan was formulated. We would head back to the car and drive to the Papermill Drive area where I had seen the bird on a previous visit.

From the car park we found a Stock Dove stood with a Woodpigeon by a large flooded area. A few Mallards were dotted around, and Doug spotted a couple of Teal on the water. One or two Oystercatchers and Jackdaws were also around. Arriving at Papermill Drive after a couple of large detours due to roadworks, we found a lack of birders which wasn't promising. However, nothing ventured, nothing gained, so we scanned around. A couple of Goldeneyes downstream and a large group of Mallards closer in to the bank. No Harlequin Duck though.

Our views upriver where the water looked more likely habitat for the duck were blocked by bushes and the bend in the river. A wee detour found us a gap in the fencing and with no obvious reason to 'keep out' or signs to that effect, we decided a spot of off-piste exploration was in order. A pair of Dippers and a Mute Swan was more or less all we found however, along with a dead shrew. A Chaffinch was seen on the way back to the car, as well as a Robin. We drove a bit further upriver then wandered down onto a bridge across the river for a look. A Cormorant flew by, and a Coal Tit called from the trees by the steps down to the bridge.

A Dipper was on a rock in the middle of the river. A pair of Grey Wagtails flitted around by the bank. Goosander, Goldeneye and Mallard were grouped together among rocks near the shore by another bridge a bit further upstream. We decided to wander up for a better look. Great Tit and Pied Wagtail were seen as we wandered along the road. Herring Gulls drifted over, and from the second bridge a Grey Heron was seen downstream. With time increasingly against us we admitted defeat and headed back to the car to head back down the road to Dundee.

I remembered about the Mandarin Drake at Johnston Gardens and we decided to make the short detour to try and see it. A light rain had started to fall so it was going to be a flying visit, with a quick lap around the pond. A few Mallards were all that was on the water though a very trusting male Blackbird flew in and landed on the fence inches from my elbow. Doug was eating something, so he handed me a small piece to offer to the bird, which without any fear took it from my fingers and flew off to eat it.

There wasn't too much to see in the small park sandwiched behind houses, though we did succeed in adding Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush and Godlfinch to our trip list. Robin and Great Tit were also seen, though neither was as tame as the male Blackbird who we encountered again on the way back to the car. I remembered to take a photo this time. Heading down the A90 there wasn't much to see except a few Woodpigeons and Carrion Crows.

One last detour was discussed, a second attempt in two days to try and see the Puffins at Auchmithie. We turned off the A90 a little early but this gave us a few more species that we wouldn't otherwise have added. Pheasant, Collared Dove and a Black Headed Gull in Brechin. A few more Oystercatchers and Woodpigeons were seen before we made an unplanned stop for a few minutes at Boghead Farm. A few birds were in the tops of the large tree by the road. These weren't the hoped for Corn Buntings but Linnets, still another species for the day. A Kestrel perched in a tree by the side of the ploughed field was another addition.

On we headed for Auchmithie where we parked at the north end of the village to peer over the wall down the cliffs. A few Eiders close in to the rocks by the harbour, Fulmars gliding along the cliffs, with a few birds on nests. Three very distant birds to the south of the village were identified from photos taken with the P900 using the digital zoom. Guillemots and my first of the year. Were there any Puffins? Oh, yes, a small group below the clifs with others dotted around in small groups giving a total of around 20 birds. A couple of Cormorants flew by and there were Herring Gulls on the water.

With the time now after 6pm we headed back to Dundee managing to add two final species as we passed Swannie Ponds with a Tufted Duck and a Moorhen visible from the road, in addition to the Mallards, Mute Swan and Herring Gulls. An enjoyable afternoon out even if we did fail to see our target bird for the day. 48 (actually 47 and a half - with the Hooded Crow hybrid not being completely countable). Two full species new for my year list seen though (in bold).

Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Cormorant, Dipper, Dunnock, Eider, Fulmar, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Guillemot, Herring Gull, Hooded Crow (hybrid), House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Magpie, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Puffin, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Teal, Tufted Duck, Woodpigeon, Wren.

NOTE : The photos in the first part of the photo section were taken with the P900 in poor light (grey and overcast all day)and before I had any chance to have a look at how to actually work the camera, so most photo are shot using digital zoom at the maximum equivalent of 8000mm, or close to that total. Despite this, they show the reach capabilities and also to a degree the strength of the image stabilisation on the camera. A better idea of the camera's real capabilities will be seen in my next blog post.