Scurdie Ness - Sedge Warblers and Whitethroats

A warm and sunny day at Ferryden and Scurdie Ness, Montrose, when I took a walk down to the lighthouse area, seeing many birds along the track. I'd hoped to find the Common Terns feeding in the river but they were all going out of the estuary and offshore. I soon gave up trying to get photos of the many Swallows and House Martins and concentrated on the Sedge Warblers and Whitethroats.

I spent some time sea-watching and saw next to nothing, perhaps a few Gannets passing miles off and a bait ball with auks and gulls.

One of around 5 Whitethroats seen on the track down to Scurdie Ness, Montrose

Every now and again this Whitethroat would rise into the air and display a distraction routine when some got too close. I'd have thought it would be used to people on a busy track

Longer lens needed for this kind of shot

The shadow of the plant gave this Whitethroat a bandit mask

Male Linnet singing near the steps at the low car park in Ferryden

It might have been sunny, but this Yellowhammer is "drookit" from foraging in the damp undergrowth

Not many Common Terns fishing inshore, I had to make do with one or two passing birds

Eider ducks, non or failed breeders

What looked like a young Grey Seal not far from the rocks at Scurdie Ness

Ringed Plover with yellow flag, looked like 109 which has nested in the same place for a number of years. It was being moved around as people scrambled on the rocks

A small group of male Eiders were flushed by someone looking for jellyfish

The second Pied Wagtail this week that popped up in front of me, this time a female

This Fulmar flew from the river estuary out to sea when it and many gulls spotted a flock about a mile out to sea feeding on a bait ball

Male Reed Bunting on a fence post on the track, calling/singing to ward off people passing

Skylarks always position themselves into the light, giving them an advantage over predators and photographers

Not often that Dunnocks sit out of cover, maybe drying off from a soaking in the undergrowth

This caught me by surprise, when something started venting what looked like steam, and very loudly from inside Glaxo

Red Admiral Butterfly

Sedge Warbler, briefly out of cover

Maersk Lancer. I sat on the waters edge confident that the slack tide wasn't a problem, I forgot about the wash from this large vessel and got splashed by some ship made waves