Ring-necked Duck (drake) at Forfar Loch, click here for video Shoveler Duck pair at Murton
Ring-necked Duck (drake) on Forfar Loch. It stubbornly stayed in the middle of the loch, hence the photos are screen grabs from the video above
The ring-necked duck (Aythya collaris) is a diving duck from North America commonly found in freshwater ponds and lakes
This strong migrant is a rare but regular vagrant to western Europe. In Britain, occasional small flocks occur, including five at Loch Leven, Scotland in September 2003
Back again at Monikie, but this time the Little Gulls were further out and it was a bit more breezy, and they were more often sitting on the water
The little gull (Hydrocoloeus minutus), is a species of gull belonging to the family Laridae which is mainly found in the Palearctic with some small colonies in North America. It breeds on freshwater lakes and marshes, and spends winters at sea. It is the smallest species of gull in the world, and the only species in the monospecific genus Hydrocoloeus
There were four Great Crested Grebes
Not a common sighting at Monikie for me, the good news was I didn't see any Grey Squirrels
Chiffchaff at Murton, conveniently in front of the car park hide
Drake Teal, the water is disappearing fast on the two main ponds
Dunnock
Lesser Black-backed Gull adult at Keptie Pond
The lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus) is a large gull that breeds on the Atlantic coasts of Europe. It is migratory, wintering from the British Isles south to West Africa. However, it has increased dramatically in North America, especially along the east coast
Yellow-bellied Slider Trachemys scripta scripta, a turtle. Subspecies of: Pond Slider (Trachemys scripta)
Native Range: Southeastern United States, from Florida to southeastern Virginia
Habitat: Slow-moving rivers, floodplain swamps, marshes, seasonal wetlands, and permanent ponds
Identification: They have a large yellow blotch behind the eye, which is most evident in juveniles and females.
Collared Dove, has only been in the UK since 1953, breeding in 1956. Eurasian collared doves typically breed close to human habitation wherever food resources are abundant and trees are available for nesting; almost all nests are within 1 km (0.62 mi) of inhabited buildings