Water Rails and Grey Plover - Montrose Basin

It was cold cold outside, windy and often raining on Wednesday so I opted for a photo attempt at the Water Rails in front of the Bank of Scotland Hide at Montrose Basin SWT Centre. The first view was a bird in the open which even paused for a second or two, then the one below which I'm sure sprinted when it heard voices from the hide. The bird in the video link below fed at the edge of the long grasses but never moved away from the cover.

Water Rail video BOS Hide, click here,  Best viewed (in my opinion) on an internet connected TV with the YouTube app or cast from a phone or tablet, even Apple allows that!

This is the typical shot as they speed across the open spaces between the salt pans

Grey Plover juvenile from the Lurgies near to the Slunks which is unusual as they are mostly seen at the other end of the basin or near the Wigeon Hide

Some of around 400 - 500 of the circa 60,000 Pink-footed Geese currently at the basin. Taken in mid afternoon as the tide ebbed and they were just beginning to come in having spent the day grazing nearby

I'm late with this photo which I'd forgot about and am sure the gull on the left is a Mediterranean Gull in 2nd winter plumage. The legs are darker red, the beak is larger than the BH Gull but not perhaps as large as it could be and it has some black but not much on it's wings. Seen near Easthaven.