Wednesday 21 March 2018

Olive's "Grand Day Out" - surprise, surprise I took her birding!

Olive's "Grand Day Out", so I had to find some of the "interesting" species which usually means colourful and cute (much like myself). I'm not convinced that I fulfilled the brief but did manage a variety of some of our rarer and less often seen species.

The first site which I haven't named, but most will know or guess is a public place and all birds were photographed from the public path without ever approaching the birds which is always illegal and can interfere with nesting at this time and in the coming months.


Peregrine, miles up on a cliff at a NNR where they're not a secret



Raven chasing off a Buzzard along the clifftop


Raven


First Stock Dove I've seen at this site for some time. I hope this gives an idea of the distance and height between me and the bird. This is around a quarter crop of the original


Female Stonechat which looked very pale even to the eye in the bright sun


One of five Buzzards



Water Rail at the Bank of Scotland Hide, Montrose Basin SWT Centre


Little Egret also BOS Hide and getting less wary or maybe just more hungry as it came closer today than I've seen when people were about


Female Kingfisher but no sign of the male for some time now



Another day end bird from Keptie Pond in Arbroath. Only one pair of these Goosanders remain, the female was out of shot and in the shade


Grey Heron, Keptie Pond


I counted 49 Herring Gulls and two Lesser Black-backed Gulls and felt the need to enlighten the "duck feeders" that by feeding bread it encourages the gulls to congregate and remain to then predate the ducklings, moorhen and coot chicks. There is signage about this issue at the pond and the local pet shops sell a seed mix as an alternative which sinks and is only reached by the ducks it's intended for. Another duck food is lettuce so once you peeled off the outer leaves drop them off at your local pond. Note as I had tell two small boys last year at Keptie, terrapins don't eat new potatoes but might like some of the raw mince before the "tatties and mince" is cooked!


Moorhen, an often overlooked bird, worth a closer look just for the beak colours


Crocuses at Keptie Pond


The "Back o'the Heids" at Arbroath Harbour mouth on day two of the latest storm when the waves had diminished a bit from day one



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