Brown Hares, Cock Pheasant, male Smew and a Waxwing (in Kirriemuir)

A trip today to Backwater Dam, Kinnordy, Rescobie Loch and Balgavies.
A group of around 60 thrushes at Backwater, mostly Fieldfares with some Mistle Thrushes and a single Blackbird.
The Kinnordy Smew was showing well and I got my first Brambling at the feeders as well as a sighting of the Otter swimming by the Gullery Hide.
A chance sighting of 4 Waxwings in Kirriemuir due to being diverted for roadworks and the Water Rail at Balgavies showed well near the hide and swam out into the reeds now flooded due to the rain lately.

Videos posted here later,  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXZcvGfArmiDyH3wWef_Bsw

St Vigeans Nature Trail, Arbroath

No rarities or anything out of the ordinary but an unusually high number of birds and species around at St Vigeans. Also seen, Oystercatcher, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Curlew, Moorhen, Wren, Blue Tit, Blackbird, Black-headed and Herring Gulls. A Red Squirrel also crossed the old road bridge in the village.

Female Bullfinch 

Chaffinch, female

A Collared Dove, one of nineteen in St Vigeans

Dipper 

Great Tit, attracted to a Brambling call on my phone

Grey Heron in the Brothock Burn 

Long-tailed Tit, on its own at first which is unusual 

One of three Roe Deer only 30 metres from houses at Kirkton, Arbroath

Three photos from Kinnordy on 23/1/2014

All of these were taken at Kinnordy Loch, the Red Squirrel and Hen Pheasant were at the feeders and the Whooper Swans nearby at the East Hide. No sign today of the Bittern, Bearded Tit or the male Smew but all are thought to be still around and I note elsewhere a recent raptor has been seen this week at Kinnordy.

Common Cranes, near Glamis, Angus

Two Common Cranes which have stayed around for a few days near Glamis. They were very far out so this isn't a good photo but I thought it worth posting such a rare visit.

Sparrowhawk, in my garden

We've had Gas Networks digging up the street and plumbers vans next to the front garden and they were blamed for a drop in birds visiting the feeders, then Olive spotted this male Sparrowhawk. We believe its been around for a week now and seemed today to be desperate to get a meal from the front garden which it failed at twice.

Corn Buntings, a Stonechat and my first 2014 Fulmars

Corn Buntings were showing in the trees at Boghead Farm and lit up by the low winter sun, also there were Tree Sparrows, Reed Buntings and Yellowhammers. The Fulmar which is the first I've seen this year was one of 14 at Auchmithie. Finally the female Stonechat was at Easthaven and seen by Olive and I when doing a Webs count for the BTO, (Wetland Bird Survey). Note, photos shrunk to 995 pixels to suit a site elsewhere!

Added for testing. The photo before was linked to another site and wouldn't display correctly, solved with this smaller version!

Green Woodpecker, Siskins, Bullfinch and Purple Sandpiper

A bit of a tour today with a Green Woodpecker at Montreathmont Forest along with Siskins, Bullfinches and Great, Coal and Blue Tits and more. Later the Purple Sandpipers at Arbroath had re-located from their usual site as it was covered by the tide and a Black-headed Gull just starting to get its black head!

Male Bullfinch at the top of a large pine

A Coal Tit which took away the peanut and pecked it apart on the roof of the hide

A male Siskin waiting to get at a Niger feeder

A shy Yellowhammer foraging on what everything else spilt

Black-headed Gull with my childhood home in the background, far left

Purple Sandpipers at Arbroath Harbour

A few of a group of Sanderlings which aren't a common sight behind the old bathing pool at Arbroath beach

Montreathmont Forest

Three of Montreathmonts inhabitants, a Red Squirrel which came into the hide, possibly because someone had left the peanut bin open, a shy and wary Jay and a Yellowhammer scuttling around.

Montrose Golf Course, Buzzard

I didn't even have to get out of the car for this one which is one of the lighter coloured Common Buzzards, maybe a young bird as it was happy sitting in a tree near the beach road.

Montrose Basin, Mains of Dun area

I was happy to find that the wintering Twite were at the feeding station on the track down to the SWT hides, there are 52 Twite in the photo and I reckon 18 are ringed. The Greenshank below was at the Tayock Hide.

Black-tailed Godwits near Montrose Railway Station, note the one front left is ringed which I'll report.

A lonely Lapwing at Tayock.

One of four Roe Deer which appeared just on sunset near Mains of Dun.

Nine Whooper Swans near the Shelduck Hide.

Red-necked Grebe, Monikie Country Park, Angus

I went to Monikie looking for Pochard and was happy at finding a Goldcrest tame enough to photograph and video then found a Red-necked Grebe which is a rare visitor to Angus. Earlier at Easthaven I'd seen three Bottlenose Dolphins as well as Grey Plover which I'd gone looking for.

Arbroath Cliffs

A blustery day with a strong south westerly wind blowing at the cliffs and all of the small birds were keeping close to the fence and wall lines or feeding in plough grooves.

This Reed Bunting obliged for a few seconds and sat on the barbed wire long enough for a photo despite me not being able to stand still in the wind to take it.

Three photos from the gloom, Corn Bunting, Golden Plover and a Great black-backed Gull

There were plenty of Corn Buntings, Yellowhammers and a few Reed Bunting at Boghead Farm today, just not enough light for photos.
The Great black-backed Gull is a 1st winter bird sitting on the breakwater at Arbroath Harbour.