"Up the Glen an' doon the beach", and places in-between, a bit of this weeks round up

From the top I've included photos from, Lochlee in Glenesk, Arbroath, Montrose Basin, Murton NR and Craigmill beach near Easthaven. At Montrose Basin many of the returning wader species have arrived in varying numbers with Greenshank (14) Black-tailed Godwit (5), Knot (3), Dunlin (23), Lapwing (c250), Curlew (50+), and a Little Egret has been seen but is elusive, well at least to me so far. One notable sighting at Lochlee was three Ospreys soaring over the Shank of Inchgrundle at the west end of the loch and a separate Osprey fishing at the east end.

Pied Wagtail with a moth near Invermark

One of many Small Heath butterflies at Lochlee

A young Spotted Flycatcher with two adults and perhaps another two youngsters at Inchgrundle. Also seen there, Lesser Redpoll and Siskin

Swallow at Invermark car park

Adult Wheatear near the Falls of Unich

One of the bird above's offspring with a bit to go yet before migrating

"The purple 'o' the heather", Lochlee looking east

Two new small hydro schemes, one at each end of Lochlee

Med Gull adult with Black-headed Gull near the play park at West Links Arbroath

One of a few Ospreys visiting Montrose Basin

Pink footed Goose, left behind or possibly injured, thirteen others who are able to fly also on the Basin

Grey Heron, not the Little Egret I was looking for............

Juvenile Little Grebe with an unusual preening style at Murton NR

Another view

A Noon Fly also at Murton

Sand Martin near Murton's nest wall

Ringed juvenile Shag at Craigmill Beach, green DAL and likely ringed this year on the Isle of May

Sandwich Tern watching the Black-headed Gull landing at Inchcape Park Arbroath in the low evening sunlight

Wrong camera and far away! The first returning Purple Sandpiper also at Inchcape

One of this years Tree Sparrow fledglings and the first I've seen in my garden. The adults have only been missing for about 6 weeks, last year they were absent most of the summer

Most from the coast, explanation below......

As I appear to have hay fever for the first time in my life (old age) I've tried to stay on the coast to avoid pollen.

Not quite in date order. I've been to Auchmithie where nineteen Puffins were sitting on a calm sea and then for a ten minute period many more came in from a fishing trip and flew straight to their waiting chicks.
I also went back to the Ythan Estuary where the terns were active and saw the American White-winged Scoter at Murcar (in pouring rain, BBC app wrong again!). Others are from Arbroath Cliffs, Auchmithie, Montrose Basin and my garden.

Nesting Puffin near Auchmithie

Incoming

They look close in but the rock in front of them is surrounded by water and far away

Arctic, Common and Sandwich Terns at the Ythan Estuary

Arctic Tern

Common Tern

Sandwich Tern on it's way to a demanding juvenile sitting on the beach nearby

Juvenile Sandwich Tern

Another juvenile

A few from Arbroath Cliffs, includes some butterflies

Fulmar, perhaps the same bird as last year in a well used nest site at Arbroath Cliffs, note the chick being brooded and it's size

Kittiwake with two chicks, one exercising well developed wings. In another nest a single chick was half the size and very downy while some birds look like they might still be contemplating starting breeding, or trying again

Linnet in a low morning sun

The first Meadow Brown that posed for a photo this year

Green Veined White, not over-exposed for a change!

A Stock Dove sitting on the wire behind the But'n'Ben at Auchmithie

Black-headed Gull in late evening sunlight

Maybe the first of the returning Greenshanks at Montrose Basin, also late evening

Wow! This Red-breasted Merganser has managed to keep eight chicks alive to this stage and they all look big enough to survive

An unusually close view of a Dunnock in my garden, they are always very timid and scuttle off into the shrubs

The same Dunnock looking well worn having opened up its feathers to let the sun in

One of the pesky but never-the-less colourful birds which visit my garden often hoovering up what everything else drops or discards

A drookit Starling having just bathed in my pond, it's also ringed but only with a metal ring which I can't read, yet

Gulls and Terns numbers rise at beach roosts

As summer wears on Gull and Tern numbers roosting on the local beaches have begun to increase with Little Gulls at Barry and Monifieth and Sandwich Terns, some Common Terns, Black-headed Gulls, Herring Gulls, Common Gulls and Great Black-backed Gulls at Lunan Bay and Kinnaber.

Black-headed Gulls and a Sandwich Tern

Great black-backed Gull

Sandwich Tern

Feral Pigeons fighting in my garden which has become a common practice recently as I've cut back feeding and they now squabble over less food

Arbroath Cliffs Walk, butterflies, and fledged Ospreys

Arbroath Cliffs or as the SWT call them, Seaton Cliffs. Warm enough and light enough winds brought out butterflies and day flying moths but without a macro lens I couldn't get all of the photos I wanted and missed out on Six Spot Burnet Moths, Meadow Brown butterflies and the ubiquitous Green Veined White butterflies.

A short walk out as far as the Mariners Grave a small inlet where I found the usual Kittiwakes, Fulmars and Herring Gulls nesting, with House and Sand Martins flying about and a single Shag and Razorbill sitting on the tide line. I got good views but must find somewhere with light as photos taken into the gulley are difficult. All photos except the Osprey taken with my DSLR and 600mm lens, the Ospreys on a less than sunny day with the Canon SX60.

Osprey and nearly fledged chick, click here for video

Female Common Blue Butterfly

Male Common Blue Butterfly

Ringlet Butterfly

Fulmar

Kittiwake with chicks

The adult Osprey is trying to encourage the juvenile into the air, it eventually flew across the short gap from the island to a tree. Another chick took its place and the two others remained in or on the nest

Rock Pipit, adults and young birds all along the path at the cliffs along with Linnets and families of Reed Buntings