St Vigeans Nature Trail

I didn't manage to avoid the gales at St Vigeans but it was a useful wander along a route which will be an ADBC members trip in April where I was able to get an idea of which birds were around and where. All of the Dippers I saw were in the shadows and everything else wouldn't let me near except the Roe which knew I couldn't leap two burns and fences to get near it!

Roe Deer Buck in velvet

Dipper

Grey Heron

Mistle Thrushes

Song Thrush

Olive's Kingfisher photo and a few bit part players...........

The first Chiffchaffs this year for me at Montreathmont, Murton and Forfar Loch but top billing is Olive's Kingfisher photo taken with a Canon SX50 during a dull spell.

Kingfisher by Olive, included on merit

First Chiffchaff this year, wouldn't stay still

Buzzard calling

Lesser Black-backed Gull

I'm thinking a hybrid mallard female here

Male Tufted Duck

Female Tufted Duck

A few photos from the ADBC trip to Forfar Loch and Montreathmont Forest

The club trip today spent time at Forfar Loch where we got goods views of a male Kingfisher, Bullfinches, Goldcrests, Teal, Wigeon, Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Great Crested Grebes amongst others.

Moving to Montreathmont forest we saw a Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker which was excavating a new nest hole in a live tree, both of the Bank Voles near the feeders and the usual tits etc.

The last two are from a previous trip to Kinnordy where there were three Snipe on the bogbean and still a number of Whooper Swans around.

Looking for a stickleback

Caught one and turning it to avoid the spines

Nearly lined up

Bullfinch male at Forfar, female nearby

Bank Vole, Montreathmont

Green Woodpecker, Montreathmont

Great Spotted Woodpecker, new nest hole in creation

Snipe at Kinnordy

Whooper Swan also Kinnordy

Just a mixture of birds and what I'm sure are Palmate Newts from around Angus with an Eider I photographed at Leven. The Chinese Goose is an escapee from the petting farm at Murton and not a native species. The newts photo shows them on the bottom of a small pool, the colours are true with the sun shining on an orange gravel and sand bed.

Blue Tit, Balgavies

Chinese Goose, Murton

Eider drake, Leven

Goldeneye pair, Murton

Grey Heron, Murton

Lapwing, Murton

Long-tailed Tit, Balgavies

Palmate Newts? Montreathmont Forest

Shoveler duck, Murton (drake present)

A Snow Bunting fae Fife

A trip to the Kingdom of Fife where after much crooning I found a Taiga Bean Goose south of Ladybank but didn't see a White-fronted Goose also reported there. At Leven there were at least 17 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, a species which seems to be here in larger numbers than this time last year.

We walked along the coast from Lower Largo to Ruddons Point but yet again didn't see the elusive (to me) King Eider but did find the little character below on the beach.

Snow Bunting video, click

Snow Bunting on the move

Just finished eating what looked like a corn husk

Frog Chorus

Spring is truly here, if you agree with the frogs at Montreathmont Forest, they were calling in every suitable ditch and there was quite a bit of spawn already deposited.

The Great Crested Grebes were taken at Murton and were fishing right under the car park hide in the water which is currently covering the bank. The other photos are from various sites and I think the Puffin one is the first I've taken of a bird not in its summer breeding colours.

The Eclipse photos were taken with the Canon SX50 so I could view it on the camera screen and not get blinded like the woman beside me who was using her DSLR "with a UV filter" which she thought was fine!! I hope she doesn't regret it later.

First frog spawn this year and I could hear frogs calling all over the forest

Great Crested Grebe at Murton

One of three perch I saw it eat

Mr Grumpy (the Greenfinch)

Magpie near Elie

Cock Pheasant at Montreathmont

Puffin at Ruddons Point, Elie

The obligatory Eclipse photo

The artistic Eclipse photo

Male Yellowhammer

ADBC Club Trip - Auchmithie to Gaylet Pot

A short trip followed by lunch in the But n Ben attended by sixteen members who found 28 species, 2 Roe Deer a Fox and an early Bumblebee. No Auks were seen so I've included a Guillemot from Stonehaven resting after getting a battering in the surf and some Long-tailed Ducks in flight.

Click for videos

ADBC Members

Fulmars

Kittiwake

Reed Bunting

Rock Pipit

Guillemot, at Stonehaven

Long-tailed Ducks from the club hide