Buddleia Critters!

From Saturday July 25th. Washed out again at the basin after a bit of garden safari looking for interesting and colourful butterflies and insects.

Common Sandpiper in the shadows at the Old Harbour at Montrose Basin. A Little Egret was also there with a Greenshank and 3 more sandpipers. Minutes after this the heavens opened and I had to abandon yet again at the basin, the third downpour in three visits

Now that my Buddleia is flowering I'm looking forward to some butterflies and other insects, if the wind would just stop. Marmalade Hoverfly, common in my garden and elsewhere

Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly, upperwing

Same butterfly, underwing

Small White Butterfly, and with a fair bit of wear and tear

This photo showing its long tongue

Little Tern and other Terns

From July 24th, the day after my first sighting of a Little Tern, and this is likely it sitting on the beach near Annat Bank. It was impossible to get a decent photo of such a small bird and not helped by the wind and me only taking a 300mm lens. Also mankind finds a new way of disturbing wildlife.........
A late bit of similar news, someone has been seen, and often "chasing" the dolphins around at Montrose in the area from the harbour and out to sea. Apparently many videos have been posted of the dolphins on Facebook - it's a bit like Wallace and Grommit, " Daddy created him for good, but he's turned out evil"





A very distant Little Tern at Montrose Beach, just east of the north perimeter of Glaxo. Looks to have a yellow flag on its right leg?
I've reported the Sandwich Tern with the yellow ring KTJ and another with green EC8




Sitting on the sand dead centre, much smaller than the Common Terns

Common Tern

Common Terns nesting on a building in Barrack Road Montrose and viewed from the Fire Station in Garrison Road. Safe from all ground predators but surrounded by nesting Herring Gulls on every available roof. The nest area can be seen on Google Maps, satellite view

Sandwich Tern

The Tern roost on the beach flushed again by dogs, people, gulls and wait for it, this guy in the photo below who had also been circling over the basin

I wonder if you need training and a licence to fly these, and maybe a bit of guidance regarding the effects on wildlife of low flying

  

 Scurdie Ness Lighthouse from Sandy Braes to the south