Dunlin in the sun, Egret in the gloom

The wader numbers at Easthaven/Craigmill seem to have dropped off or perhaps with the slack tides just now they are sitting out high tide on the rocks instead of roosting on the shoreline. There were a few Dunlin feeding near Craigmill and they were happy enough to venture close if I didn't move. Elsewhere around Montrose Basin a Little Egret has shown up, another Green Sandpiper, Snipe and the Canada Geese remain.

Dunlin, Craigmill Mouth

This Dunlin had spotted something flying over and was assessing whether it was a threat

Juvenile Pied Wagtail in the Craigmill Burn, part of a second brood I'd think

Sandwich Tern, looking for fish. It looks a kinda mechanical to me, but then my brain isn't wired up like yours!

Sandwich Tern, found a target

Lots of Starlings on the beach feeding on insects in the stranded and rotting seaweed. Good to see how many immatures are in the flock

Green Sandpiper at the Lurgies, photo from a hole in a gorse bush and from a distance as these birds are easily spooked

Greenshank, one of four still frequenting the area near the Old Harbour

The first Little Egret I've seen at Montrose Basin since spring

It landed midway between the Lurgies path and Miss Erskine's Bank before moving to the bank

One of three Ospreys fishing in front of Montrose Railway Station as the tide fell. You don't get close views but it's easy access with a high likelihood of seeing them fish

Common Snipe on a small scrape at the top of the Lurgies, the same site where the Green Sandpiper was but days apart. Got closer for this one and I'm sure it could see me peering through a tree

This young Sparrowhawk seems to sit in trees near the Old Harbour and always flies off over the trees. I just pointed the camera vaguely in its direction and got one photo with the whole bird, some with bits cut off and some blank sky

Small White butterfly caught in flight at the road bridge, Old Harbour, Montrose Basin

Same Small White

Some of the many Canada Geese seen on the shingle at Montrose Basin just now, numbers vary between 200 and 400. It looks like at least some of the geese move between the Basin and the North Esk estuary at St Cyrus and I've seen small groups flying over near the Glaxo