Thursday 16 June 2011

Late addition to Auchmithie pictures

Originally I didn't spend any time trying to identify this bird so it's out of sequence on the blog. Today a week later I've confirmed it is a male Whitethroat which I'd never knowingly seen before. Apparently they are summer vistors and spend the winter in Africa, South of the Sahara. According to the RSPB there are as many as 945,000 breeding pairs in the UK so it's definitely not rare. This one didn't let me get close enough for a good picture, I expect he was trying to lead me away from a nest.

Whitethroat, Male near Auchmithie

Saturday 11 June 2011

Auchmithie to Arbroath Coastal Path, Castlesea Bay.

My original plan for Friday June 11th was to walk from Auchmithie to Arbroath along the coastal, clifftop path and take photos for a revised version of the walk on the Walkingworld website. I did however get distracted as usual and only got about a third of the way along due to taking photos of anything of interest.

At the top of this entry I've included a picture of a Juvenile Humpback Whale which was washed up in Castlesea Bay in February 2007 after drowning in illegal salmon nets. Below that picture is what remains above the shingle today, part of the skull, the rest probably damaged and removed by people and a line of bones which are the top of the vertebrae. I'd imagine that there is also flesh and blubber still below the shingle.

The other pictures are self explanatory and I included the one of the Gannets which have probably flown from the Bass Rock and are on their way to Montrose Bay or further to feed. The picture appears to show Gannets of different ages given the colour of the wing featers.

Castlesea Bay, Auchmithie

Humpback Whale, February 2007

Humpback Whale Skeleton, June 2011

Kittiwakes with two chicks






Shags, one with a tag, SJS

Guillemots, surely they can't have eggs on this sloping ledge

Razorbill, Castlesea Bay Auchmithie

Yellowhammer

Gannets heading for Montrose Bay

Thursday 2 June 2011

Murton Nature Reserve, Forfar

Sunshine at last, God looks after the newly retired!

A quick walk around Murton in the middle of day with the Sand Martins busily feeding young in the artificial nest walls, the Black Headed Gulls squabbling as normal and now there are at least 60 geese. The B H Gulls have taken over the few nesting areas on the scrape and there was no sign of any of the rarer species. I'm sure there will be more to see in the early morning and at dusk but the reserve is closed at these times.

At least the damselflies were showing and many of the flowers should soon be in full bloom on the meadow areas.

Common Blue Damselfly, male

Common Blue Damselfly, female

Azure Damselfly, female

Murton, Small Copper Butterfly

Male Mallards in flight at Murton

Murton, Clustered Bellflower

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