A worried looking Red Squirrel at Balgavies

This Squirrel had been feeding on and near to the ground until spooked by a Stoat which also sent the birds into a brief panic. You can see it won't take it's eyes off the stoat until it's sure it leaves.

Tits

Trying out a new camera in poor light at Balgavies Hide. I suppose these are as good as I could expect since I haven't read the manual!

Blue Tit

Great Tit

A White Oystercatcher

I've photographed this leucistic Oystercatcher before at Rossie Spit, Montrose Basin but the good sunlight meant at last I got a good photo taken from some distance while hiding in trees near the roadside. I also took photos of the Redshank roosting there at high tide trying to find some of those with colour rings. If they were there they must have been the ones standing in the water!

Rossie Spit Leucistic Oystercatcher

Arbroath Birdlife October 24th 2012

A Dipper on the Brothock Burn just upstream from the sea at Danger Point. There has been a Dipper there all summer, probably this one.

You'll need to click on the image here to see the 50 Golden Plover resting on the seashore at Victoria Park, Arbroath, opposite the first shelter.

Kinnordy Loch, October 24th 2012

A Black Darter Dragonfly trying to get the little heat remaining from the October sun. This was one of 4 found at the Lily Pond area, all were sitting on tree stumps which made them easy to see. It seems late to see Dragonflies to me.

Victoria Park, Arbroath

Ringed Plover and there is a Turnstone dead centre in the one below

Pied Wagtail still finding insects on the road and the high water line.

Boddin Point on a cold, dull and breezy afternoon

A Rock Pipit at Boddin point, one of 6 counted in the shelter of the cliff, it's unusual to see more than 2 at a time.

This Kestrel is often seen at Boddin.

I've seen dark pheasants before but this one is blue. I looked through the net and it seems it's a variant called "tenebrosus". This one was with 4 other males and a female which looked normal.

Tayock and the Lurgies

Despite a poor forecast it was sunny today, at least for a while so I made a visit to Montrose Basin looking for migrants.

At Tayock there were 40 Goldfinches, 4 Song Thrushes,  3 Dunnock, numerous Robins, Blackbirds, and a Sparrowhawk which didn't see me hiding behind a bush as it swept in after Goldfinches, so close I felt the wind as it banked away just feet from me.

At the Lurgies there were 9 Little Grebe, 1 Merganser, 5 Goldeneye and 1 Greenshank amongst other common birds.

Tayock and Old Montrose

Little Grebe at Old Montrose Harbour, they are wary and difficult to photograph and being small and dark means I was lucky with this one.

This Song Thrush is standing beside Goldfinches and a Blue Tit bathing in one of the many puddles after yet more rain.

These two let me get quite close, they don't seem to mind the cold water.

Return of the Whooper Swans

Whooper Swans arriving for the winter

I believe they migrate as a family, this one is a success

Clouds and Rainbows

Pink foot geese flying across a rainbow at Montrose Basin

The forecast for today was sun all day, wrong according to this view from the Slunks looking south

Elliot Burn, Kelly Den

A day after the flooding the Elliot Burn was still running high and coloured and there was no sign of a Kingfisher often seen in the den. The place was alive with Robins and Blackbirds and I saw a pair of Redwing, a single Dipper and a Grey Wagtail. No photo of the wagtail but what I think are Alpaca being kept at Elliot House.

October 12th Floods, West Water at Purners Brig

Purners Brig with the river level about 50 cm below the brig.

An older photo showing the normal river level and how high the bridge is clear of the water.

October 12th Floods, North Esk

The Fish Ladder Fall on October 12th after 18 hours of heavy rain. I have seen the river higher!

This is a previous photo and the river is actually high then.

Craigmill Den

At last, some evidence that there are brown trout in the Craigmill Burn and this one is about 10 inches long. I hadn't seen any fish throughout the summer and wondered if the burn had been polluted or poisoned.

Yellowhammer below.

Riverside Park, Dundee

A Kestrel which had been harried by a crow moments earlier

Olive liked this photo, so it's in!

Another one Olive liked

A single male Teal taken from near the hide

Three Teal on the Lochan at Riverside

Ringed Redshank Hunting today

There are a number of ringed Redshank at Montrose Basin just now and I spent a couple of hours trying to find and photograph them to no avail, after all there must be hundreds if not more spread across the basin.

Unusually I did come across this Buzzard at Rossie Spit unaware I was below it as it landed in the tree.

This one at Tayock just didn't notice me, it was looking the other way.

This Dipper was under the Bridge of Dun where you can be reasonably sure of seeing a Dipper on most visits.

Tayock Chiffchaff

I'm sure this is a Chiffchaff spotted by Olive at Tayock, she's making herself indispensable so she'll have come out more often! I also photographed one at the Old Harbour this week.

Tayock Butterflies and a very uncomfortable snail

Why this banded snail should be on this Teasle I don't know, I hope it's not been a prank, perhaps it's being stored by a thrush

I'd thought the last of the butterflies would have been gone by now but this Peacock and the Red Admiral below are both new with no signs of wear and tear like I'd been seeing recently.

I don't know what the bird with the very large wingspan is, maybe a young great black-backed gull but it's impressive

St Cyrus, good light at last!

One of two Buzzards flying around the car park at St Cyrus Centre

The first photo I've taken of a Stonechat

Followed by this one of two of them

This White Wagtail was on the roof of the centre

You can clearly see the identifying features, the slightly yellow face and the black bib

Montrose Basin, Old Harbour

I'm confident this is a Chiffchaff, but then I've been wrong before! It was in the trees at the car park at the Old Harbour just over the metal gate into the stubble field and didn't seem to notice me or care.

Lunan Bay Hide

This Whitethroat and the Yellowhammer below were both sitting on the power cables on the dirt road leading to the Lunan Bay Hide