Tuesday 31 January 2017

Car failure this week, and now the weather

I originally went to Balgavies just to give my newly repaired car a run and had forgotten that a Green-winged Teal had been seen the day before. A pity I hadn't taken a teleconverter or my might have got a better photo, saying that the promising sun disappeared just after I arrived.

For what it's worth, a video of the Green-winged Teal displaying alongside the Eurasian Teal, something I can't recall seeing before. (SX60)

Green-winged Teal video, click here,


Green-winged Teal drake sleeping on the ice at Balgavies Loch. SX60 due to distance


Blue Tit, one of the many birds at Balgavies Hide which were spooked by the appearance of a large rat which will be trapped and removed by SWT


A Dunnock which usually are wary, came quite close


One of a small group of Long-tailed Tits which came and went often while I was at Balgavies

Monday 23 January 2017

Red-necked Grebe at Lintrathen

It had to be a video of the Red-necked Grebe at Loch of Lintrathen today, it was always just too far away even for a good lens. You can see I reverted to scenery at Backwater Dam again, the only birds were a few common ducks,a Kestrel and a Buzzard. One of the Glaucous Gulls was still around at Danger Point, Arbroath but the photo below late in the day is of a ringed bird.


Red-necked Grebe video, click here


Buzzard at Kinnordy lit by the low sun before the usual afternoon cloud appeared



Great Black-backed Gull "Yellow L51" at Danger point, Arbroath. Maybe an Aberdeen bird but I'll update that when I get the info.  Ringed at Ramscraigs, Dunbeath, Highland on 27/6/2016, 210 days ago and 193 km distant, info from Mark Oksien.


Just as the sun started to come out at Backwater Dam this morning, a bit of a blot on this landscape but a nice reflection



From the dam wall without the offending structure 


Sunday 22 January 2017

Leucistic Tree Sparrow again

The leucistic Tree Sparrow seen last on 9/12/2016 made a return to my garden today and much as before the light was gloomy. It's good to see that the white plumage hasn't been it's downfall despite the visits of a male Sparrowhawk to the garden. It looks like the many pairs of eyes and warning calls are preventing the hawk from killing, at least in the garden where no evidence has been found.

Added below the sparrow are a couple from Lunan Bay but at low tide, I may return when the ducks are closer inshore.


The leucistic Tree Sparrow returns, click here for video









Heavy crop of very distant Long-tailed Duck and Drake at Lunan Bay


Collared Dove with some blue sky pasted into where the grey/white one was. Sun promised for Monday though..........they've lied before


Friday 20 January 2017

Beauty and the beast

Beauty refers to the Long-tailed Tits and beast to the large powerful Glaucous Gull, what a bird.

An end of week tidy up during which I didn't get much peace to wander freely. Given what I'm looking at out of my window, I should have stayed at home as my garden is full of birds, 24 Tree Sparrows, 30 Starlings, 23 Feral Pigeons, 5 Blackbirds, 2 Blue Tits, 2 fighting Robins, 19 House Sparrows, 2 Dunnocks, 1 Wren and I chased off the Herring Gull and Crow.


Glaucous Gull on the west breakwater at Arbroath Harbour as seen from the car park at Inchcape Park (Signal Tower). Photo in low sunlight near to dusk


Same Glaucous Gull in front of the Old Brewhouse but this time in much different light being reflected of the sea


Twite on the track to the hides at Montrose Basin, the most I've seen so far this year, 25 counted in one photo


I couldn't decide on which Long-tailed Tit photo to post so it's both. Taken in a glimmer of light late in the afternoon at Balgavies Loch Hide. Note, the track to the hide is currently closed and access is from the viewpoint on the main road





A resized copy of an original taken in near darkness and at very high iso, the long lens and closeness to the Rock Pipit must have helped. At the "Blue Toilets" on the Brothock Burn at Arbroath Harbour


One of a few Curlew feeding at the start of the Cliffs in Arbroath


Red Squirrel at Balgavies




Wednesday 18 January 2017

Glaucous Gull, Iceland Gull and American Wigeon

Some gull video I've been waiting to tidy up for YouTube posting and another short clip of the long-staying American Wigeon at Lintrathen Loch.

Freedom is near....... not a second referendum but the house I've been selling should be concluded on Friday and with a new lens in the offing I'll be under pressure to show the results are worth it. No pressure says Olive...........


Glaucous Gull, click here for video

Iceland Gull, click here for video

American Wigeon at Lintrathen, click here for video


Canada Goose at Lintrathen, on it's own unusually


It was getting dark when the videos above were filmed as you can see from this still taken with my SX60 a bit later

Sunday 15 January 2017

All gone a bit "arty"

A mixture covering a few days from around Arbroath, Easthaven and Montrose including a view, weird wood, a ringed Starling and an unusual Wigeon.



Anglers fishing into the sunset at Arbroath Harbour


Just a bit of driftwood, very dog like I thought. Seen on the beach north of Montrose


Fieldfare seen on my way to record my monthly Webs count at Easthaven


Ringed Starling "Orange KN0" on the beach at Craigmill, waiting details from the local ringer. Ringed at Easthaven during the BioBlitz this summer by Tayside Ringing Group as part of a demonstration to school children and the public. Ringed as a juvenile male


Two Stock Doves with a wood pigeon also from my Webs area


A slightly strange Wigeon with a green flash on its head, I'm not speculating on where or why, maybe just a variation. Seen at Easthaven


Little Egret still on the North Esk at Kinnaber/St Cyrus


One of a pair of Stonechats also at Kinnaber


Four of five Whooper Swans on the North Esk

Friday 13 January 2017

Cold, getting dark but "White Gulls" about

The north wind these past few days has brought some white gulls with it and these two, a Glaucous Gull and an Iceland gull, both juvenile/1st winter birds I believe were at Victoria Park, Arbroath at high tide today. Unfortunately it was late in the day but despite the light I got some photos due to their close proximity to the sea wall, the Glaucous especially was feeding almost on the beach in the surge of the waves. Another new lesson today, I was so busy trying to photograph the Glaucous that I didn't notice the Iceland close by until another birder pointed it out. Must scan all birds before wasting time on photos in the dark!!



Glaucous Gull, doesn't look the same as the previous one at Arbroath but it was seen in bright sunlight and this one near to dusk so it could be?


Iceland Gull, juvenile/1st winter


Both gulls close to each other, just shows how the viewfinder of a camera restricts the view when zoomed in on a bird


Quite a dark underside which was stained with the silt being churned up by the waves crashing on the beach


Not as close to the wave as this looks, the Glaucous Gull avoiding the wave breaking hard on the sand


Wednesday 11 January 2017

Nine and a half days

These are some of the birds I've come across on a number of walks since the new year, all taken just a few miles from home. With a new MOT for my car I will probably venture further when this short cold spell passes. I might have some video in my Canon SX60 and if it's worthwhile I'll add it later.


Cormorant on the slipway at the boat yard, Arbroath Harbour


Dry now


A different Cormorant in the Lunan Water at Lunan Bay


A bit of a stooshie on the slipway between these young gulls


Still disputing ownership of the box of fish remains


Top lit in the late sunshine at Danger Point, Arbroath Harbour


I tried hard to get the perfect photo of a Herring Gull flying across the Moon but never quite got what I wanted so this gull was moved slightly for "artistic reasons"


Mostly Knot and Redshanks sitting at Rossie Spit, Montrose Basin as the tide receded


Sanderling well up from the tide line at Lunan Bay


Two of four Waxwings in Carnoustie, the only ones I've seen in 2017


A Yellowhammer getting a bit of heat from the setting sun at Lunan Bay

Friday 6 January 2017

Gulls near and aboots Arbroath Harbour

Not everyone's cup of tea Gulls, but what they might lack in beauty they make up for in character, longevity, parenting skills and dedication to that task which continues throughout the winter. These photos are from January 5th when there was a quite harsh sun shining and the Stonechat from Kinnaber.


Glaucous Gull seen from the Old Brewhouse area at the mouth of the Brothock Burn which is where the Aberbrothock in our blog's name derives. Various versions and spelling have existed through the years before the current Arbroath.



There are very many Great Black-backed in the Harbour area just now, they are a bird which only used to be seen in poor winter weather when I was a young lad.....a while ago now. Today under the bridge at the boat yard a box of old lobster pot bait had been left it's assumed for the gulls and the GBB Gulls had taken charge of it, perhaps why so many stay around?



A Herring Gull parent with its bairn, they were waiting for a lobster fisherman who had thrown a fish for them to move back a bit and called in many of the gulls around while waiting.



Black-headed Gull on the "dock gates" which control the water level in the inner dock. Changed days now, they are operated with the press on a button. I remember when two large men with metal handles had to wind the gates open and closed and I'd been warned to stay away as someone had been killed by a swinging handle being rotated by the water pressure on the gate. Probably true but often stories at the harbour were invented or embellished to stop the feral kids like me from getting into trouble.



One of two working along the dunes at Kinnaber


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