Ben Vrackie, Pitlochry

A hillwalk with "the bairns" who aren't known for their stealth. It wasn't a bird finding trip but some stayed around briefly.

Top photo is of an unexpected find, a Dotterel very near the summit of Ben Vrackie. It's not very clear but it flew off before I could set up the camera. Also 2 Ravens, 1 Kestrel and a Buzzard along with a few Meadow Pipits.

Click on photos to view in a slideshow format.

Loch a Choire at the foot of Ben Vrackie

Ben Vrackie with Loch a Choire in the foreground

A Dark Green Fritillary on the lower hills, also Scotch Argus and Golden Ringed Dragonflies were seen

Little Gulls, Terns and Waders

A late post of Little Gulls, Terns and Waders at Victoria Park, photos taken when the tide had concentrated the birds near Whiting Ness.

Main photo is of a Little Gull

Juvenile Black-headed Gull

Common Terns and a Sandwich Tern adult and juvenile

A 2nd Year Kittiwake

Turnstones, Sandwich Terns and Oystercatchers

Victoria Park, Arbroath - Waders return

After doing a survey on Sunday I went back to Victoria Park to try and get photos of the distant and well camouflaged Golden Plovers and got a few others  as well.

Golden Plover still in breeding/summer colours

Redshank

Turnstone and below a juvenile Dunlin according to the Collins book

Ringed Plover including two juveniles without the red beaks

Ringed Plover
















Terns, Arctic, Common and mostly Sandwich. The Arctic is centre in the photo below with the larger Sandwich Terns around it

Arctic Tern

Sandwich Terns with the black beaks on the left, Common Terns with the red or red with black tipped beaks

A juvenile Sandwich Tern begging for food and below an adult in flight

And last a Rock Pipit which was feeding a youngster from time to time

Photos from a WeBS Survey on the Arbroath Coastline

I was asked to complete a Coastal Survey for someone on holiday along the coast between Victoria Park Arbroath and Elliot. The day was overcast, warm and still with lots of people around the beach and at sea in small craft fishing with rod and line.

The first two photos are of two Red-throated Divers which I didn't expect to see at Elliot and close enough in to get a good enough shot for ID. The angle of the head and slight up-curve of the beak is a give-away and the one on the left is showing the red on the throat.

Sandwich Terns with a juvenile in the centre

Sandwich Tern

Sandwich Tern

Black-headed Gull

Adult male Eider in eclipse

Lesser Black-backed Gull and Herring Gull for comparison, note the leg colours.

A Swallow singing on a wire at the greenkeepers huts at Elliot

Given the size and shape of the beak I'd say this is a Greater Black-backed Gull chick which looks to have been through a washing machine. Another Herring Gull chick had a horrible wing break and won't survive.

Old Harbour at Montrose Basin - some more young birds

Four cropped photos from between the Old Harbour and the Slunks. The first is a Common Sandpiper put up in the burn at the harbour, next looks to be a juvenile Greenshank, then a juvenile Lapwing and finally a Whooper Swan which has been at the Basin all summer with the Mute Swans

St Cyrus Nature Reserve - Birds

I'd gone to St Cyrus to find Stonechats and was successful. Also around were Peregrine, Buzzard, Kestrel, Meadow Pipit, Linnet, Curlew, Wigeon, Dunnock, Yellowhammer, House Martin, Swallow, Shelduck, Cormorant and Herring and Black-headed Gulls.

From the top, Female Stonechat, Juvenile, Male and I think the female with a Yellowhammer and Dunnock at the bottom of the larger photos before a Curlew and a Linnet.

A Curlew resting up in the hot sun. Just before seeing this a Whimbrel which is a smaller version of a Curlew with a shorter beak flew from the river estuary, given away by its call

A male Linnet

St Cyrus Nature Reserve - Butterflies and other Insects

On a warm and mostly sunny day at St Cyrus there were many Butterflies about including some I'd never identified or seen before.
Also some day flying moths and other yet to be identified species.

Unknown name but I'd guess at some kind of Soldier Beetle

Cinnabar Moth Caterpillars on Ragwort

A Dark Green Fritillary Butterfly

Same species with its wings closed

Unknown moth

Small Heath Butterfly

Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly

Riverside Park, Dundee - ADBC Trip

Just four photos from a hot and sticky trip to Riverside Park and the Tay Reedbeds. Thirty species found at the park and a few more at the reedbeds including Reed Bunting, Sedge Warbler and Great Crested Grebes.

From the top: Common Seals at the Tay Rail Bridge, a young Lapwing at Riverside, a Stock Dove also Riverside and the last photo, a Treecreeper at the reeds.