Danger Point and Brothock Burn, Arbroath

   
Some photos from Danger Point where the Brothock Burn in Arbroath reaches the sea. I'd been looking for a Mediterranean Gull but the tide was too low, so I had a short walk around the harbour area. I didn't expect to find another Sparrowhawk  there but many House Sparrows in the area, and they hang about in the lobster creels, probably for safety.

I've included more insects from my garden, no guarantees, although I used ObsIdentify, a book and the web.

Male Sparrowhawk that flew down the Brothock Burn at E&O Fish, then banked across the road into a garden at number 1 Shore

Great black-backed Gull 2nd calendar year at Danger Point, where the gulls bathe in the pool where the Brothock Burn spills into the rocks

Curlew

Female Eider

Lesser black-backed Gull

One of three Mallard ducklings in the Brothock, my last sighting there were six assuming the same brood

Herring Gull making its presence known as I stood about 3 metres away

Oystercatcher calling loudly

The Brothock is currently low with no sign of Dippers, just this Pied Wagtail and many House Sparrows

Tan Dance Fly Empis livida

Turnip Sawfly Athalia rosae

Red Soldier Beetle

Tiger Cranefly Nephrotoma quadrifaria

Common Drone Fly Eristalis tenax

Eurasian Drone Fly Eristalis arbustorum

Marmalade Fly

Broad-banded Aphideater or in UK Meadow Field Syrph Eupeodes latifasciatus 

Buff-tailed Bumblebee

Sparrowhawk versus Starling - no contest

   
Interim post today so I don't have to create a large post later.

Two female Sparrowhawk photos, usually I'd have to wait till winter for a female, and they are usually immatures. 

The hawk was in bushes at the back of my garden having flushed everything, I didn't know that until later when I looked at my security camera. I had walked past it and into my car, and while I was in the car it flew to the edge of my pond. I went back into my kitchen, only then did I see it with a Starling. Photos are from an upstairs window where I could the bird behind some plants.

Sparrowhawk in my garden plucking a young Starling

Yes more Swifts, and more will come when the youngsters start to leave their nest in my roof. They will leave and return often to start with. My neighbours are used to me standing in the street try to get impossible photos...

I suggested to Olive that these two Feral Pigeons reminded me of Olive and I. No comment yet!

One of five Herring Gulls that persisted in landing in the garden, it took ages to stare them down

Swifts , Terns, Dolphins, and Butterflies

I'll come back to this post, I've run out of time just now. Not much to say that isn't covered under each posted photo. 

I have added photos of Swifts from my garden and one of the four Yellowhammers. Swifts are never easy to capture and in an urban area with walls, garages, fences and buildings, they aren't seen till they are too close and too fast.

 

It took dozens of attempts to get this Swift using an older set up I use for insects

This one went straight into the nest in my roof

Visits are more frequent now they are feeding chicks

This Yellowhammer appeared from damp undergrowth, I suspect I'll see chicks soon but they won't stay around

Common Tern, South Esk estuary, Montrose

Sitting on a security camera, very apt

One of perhaps five Bottlenose Dolphins near Scurdie Ness, they swam downstream as the tide turned and started to rise

Common Blue Butterfly

Whitethroat. I only got one decent photo of this bird as it hopped around dense brambles, made worse as people walked by. Also a council worker arrived to spray giant hogweed which was in amongst the brambles. I know it's important to get rid of the hogweed but it would create a lot of disturbance to the Whitethroat and Linnets. Therein is the dilemma?

Lapwing juvenile, Lurgies

Meadow Brown Butterfly on the path at the Lurgies

Painted Lady Butterfly

Ringlet Butterfly

Giant House Spider - Eratigena species, there are three variants which can only be separated by their reproductive organs....

Seen in my garden while trying to photograph my Swifts, with an 800mm lens. That meant I had to photograph these caterpillars from 5 metres away. No idea so far to an ID

Unknown moth species, photo from my phone