Grave Robber

A word to the wise - if you're in Dundee, and fancy a walk, you could do a lot worse than head to Balgay Cemetery and Hill, part of Greater Balgay. This area, which includes the two sets of small hills that are Balgay Cemetery and Balgay Hill, Victoria Park recreation area and Lochee Park (mainly football pitches) was acquired by Dundee Corporation in 1870 for public use, and among other things in the parks, Balgay Hill houses the Mills Observatory - also well worth a visit.

The views from the cemetery in particular are stunning, quite apart from the fact that it is probably the most beautiful cemetery I have ever seen - the steepness of the hill is remarkable considering it's a cemetery! And the opportunities for blipping are many....

For plant lovers, there's a huge variety of trees, and today as well as daffodils and a few remaining snowdrops and croci, some of the azaleas/rhodedendrons (kept very well under control) were in full flower - quite stunning, and attracting a number of bumblebees. Also saw my first butterfly of the year :)

For bird lovers like myself, there's rich pickings. Today, as well as this long-tailed tit collecting lichen for nesting material, there were dozens of blue and great tits, loads of blackbirds, some chaffinches, the most boldly coloured bullfinch I've ever seen (with female friend), a pair of songthrush(es?), one smashing a snail to pieces, lots of crows, woodpigeons and a treecreeper. I'm sure if I was better at identifying songs there would have been others - and I've seen lots of goldfinches in the more open areas this year, along with the usual dunnocks, thrushes, wagtails and, in a month or so, swifts and house martins. Had a large skein of geese fly over too. There have been jays in previous years in the wood too, but didn't spot or hear any today. One year (a long time ago now) there was even a hoopoe!

The one sad note though - the wood on the hills is the last area actually in the city where red squirrels lived. There's been a war on for a number of years to try to stop the grey squirrels taking hold, but today, right on the top of Balgay Hill, I saw my one squirrel of the day - a grey. I fear the war may be lost.

Slightly altered image now up - forgot to save it before uploading before!