Wednesday 28 February 2018

East Haven waders

Just a few from East Haven where I dropped in on the way back from delivering Olive to her Carnoustie hairdressers! You'd think there would be a competent hairdresser in this great metropolis of Arbroath! Anyway I didn't get peace on the beach and couldn't be bothered wandering in the weather we've currently got so I retreated to look out on my garden.


Dunlin in front of the car park at East Haven, flushed by dog walkers who probably didn't see me sitting on a big rock pointing a camera at the birds


One of three Oystercatchers, East Haven


These Redshanks look friendly but they were chasing each other all over the sandy beach


One of a count of fourteen Tree Sparrows, but I'm sure there are more. When I go out to fill up the feeders at least fifty birds fly out of the bushes, only to return quite quickly. I am having a problem with three different cats and chase them at every opportunity. It doesn't look like they're particularly competent at hunting and there are so many birds that they can't approach unseen


A very distinctive female Blackbird, much more patterned than the other three females in company with at least four males

Friday 23 February 2018

Kinnordy Grey Heron with ice problems

No sign of the drake Smew or the Bittern at Kinnordy today but at least the light was good. Elsewhere but not photographed I found three Woodcock at Douglasmuir which were favouring mature gorse bushes and a single Grey Partridge.



A Grey Heron at Kinnordy trying to find a gap in the ice to fish in






A Mute Swan at Kinnordy for comparison with the Whooper Swans below, shows the different shape the birds adopt when flying


Whooper Swans, a lighter and perhaps more graceful looking swan compared to the larger and heavier mute


Whooper Swan


Cock Pheasant on the ice from the Gullery Hide, Kinnordy


Hen Pheasant at the new feeder station at Kinnordy. It's next to where the old one was



Still coming into to feed on the seed provided by the public at Keptie Pond, always with it's mate. Collared Dove


Great Tit at Douglasmuir near Friockheim where someone provides feed for the birds, well done


Wednesday 21 February 2018

The Blog is Back!

Apologies for being ill and neglecting this blog.

Today was my first day out for at least a fortnight and I was lucky enough to get some good Little Egret photos and views of the ever elusive Water Rails at the SWT Centre, Montrose Basin. I have also taken an opportunity to publish a photo which is part of "Onekind's" campaign to stop mass culls of Mountain Hares without any evidence on the effects on populations in different regions in Scotland. They point out that in areas where intensive grouse shooting takes place that hare numbers are kept low.


From Onekind 


Little Egret, Bank of Scotland Hide, Montrose Basin








An odd duck at Keptie Pond, the size of a mallard and with a blue bill and small black "nail" on the tip, the underwing is almost all white with a light grey back edge. Perhaps a hybrid, anyone hazard a guess?


Stock Dove at Keptie Pond, it's there daily and doesn't do much


Unusual to find a Bar-tailed Godwit at Inchcape Park, Arbroath and sitting with the Purple Sandpipers. They flew off to the breakwater when someone threw a ball on the beach


Rock Pipit (Anthus petrosus) with ring JAV at the mouth of the Dighty at Balmossie. 
Ringing date: 07.09.2017, 11 hrs.
Ringing place: Maletangen (62*58'11''N-007*03'16''E) (Maletangen Ornithological Station), Fræna, Møre & Romsdal, Norway.


Barry Buddon lighthouses as seen from Balmossie 



Saturday 3 February 2018

Goldeneye and Goosander

Three from Friday when I ventured to Murton NR where the water levels remain very low and only 3 Coots, 1 Goldeneye and 4 Tufted Ducks graced the two main ponds, or should I say the pond and the scrape. A cold hour or more at Kinnordy didn't produce the Bittern but the drake Smew was reported again today. The Iceland Gull is still at Victoria Park in Arbroath and believe it or not I didn't take more photos.

Note the "this week 2017" in the side-bar. I'm currently searching for an updated version of the Bird Crime Report. In the meantime I've posted both pages of the RSPB leaflet on how to report it at the bottom of this post, but can't be sure the contacts are the latest!

Here's the 2016 Report, The Birdcrime Report 2016


A lonely drake Goldeneye at Murton, rain and lots of it needed


One of at least 12 Goosander seen at Kinnordy, mind you we had that many on Keptie Pond this week


It's not that I particularly like Mute Swans but the Whoopers were too far away at Kinnordy. This one kept a guard on a female and continually chased away all others







Thursday 1 February 2018

Redshank fight and the "ultimate" Iceland Gull sequence

The first two photos were taken from the Wigeon Hide at Montrose Basin at high tide when the water had over-flowed the bank and reached right up to the hide. There were a number of Redshanks feeding and doing their usual thing, flying around and chasing others off what they thought was a good feeding opportunity. Usually that's all that happens but this time a proper fight broke out and lasted a couple of minutes before one gave way.
I promised no more Iceland Gulls, but did say I might post any good photos and the ones below are perhaps the best I've managed so far as there was some decent light even though I got on the wrong side of it at first!


The bottom Redshank has the top one's leg in its beak. Photo taken in bright sunshine, I wondered what it was, the bright sunshine!


Still with the leg in the beak but the upper one is pecking hard into the lower birds back


I managed to find a Twite on its own which makes for a better photo as the flock usually has birds in different positions and distances and the photos always look messy


It's still too early in the year for the sun to light the area where this Water Rail is but it won't be long. From the Bank of Scotland Hide at the SWT Centre, Montrose Basin


Iceland Gull from here on and a Tufted Duck to finish with. I think I've covered all of the angles with this sequence starting with take off after it had been preening
















Tufted drake at Keptie Pond, as usual late in the day when I'd gone to see Goosanders which I hope to get some photos of soon


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