Long-tailed Duck improvement

   

Probably the best and last photos of the Long-tailed Duck as the tide is getting later in the day

Long-tailed Duck a bit closer today, Thursday. I was standing still and leaning on fishing gear and a van

Rock Pipit feeding on the rubbish scraped out of a lobster pot

If you're down in Arbroath before Xmas you should have a quick look at this display at Danger Point (near Old Brewhouse) this photo just shows a small part of a display that must have taken lots of time, work and love. This is an ongoing thing and the theme changes throughout the year, all done by volunteers

Welcome to Arbroath Harbour

   
There's no end to our (human) persecution and poor treatment we dish out to nature in all its forms. Can you really believe the first photo, a busy harbour with plenty of food for gulls, many vantage points where they can sit, and they put spikes on the lamp-posts, I despair, what possible harm are they doing? I could go on with a long list of daft things Angus Council does, and without thinking or analysis, which costs the people through council tax for no benefit to them, but hinders wildlife, plants and amenity. I wonder if they have a proper environmental plan?

Rant over, at least the photos show that despite everything, birds still gather at the Harbour and Marina. The forthcoming easterly will surely bring some more interestng birds in, hopefully an Iceland and Glaucous Gull, either or both would be very welcome. Just two videos below today.

Long-tailed Duck filmed in the harbour mouth from "the back o thi heeds"  

I'm gonna make you a star - David Essex  makes sense later on!

Young Herring Gull which didn't land

Long-tailed Duck

Little Grebe, I'd like to think it was one of the Keptie Pond birds

Turnstones are often at the harbour in winter when the tide is in

Now you'll have to bear with me here! I got so many good photos of a young Shag bathing in the Marina that I couldn't decide what to keep, so I've posted all of the one's I liked. There's other species below the seventh one!

It spent most of its time around this boat in the middle of the Marina, obviously... When finished it hopped on the back of this boat in the shade where it looked black without the afternoon sun on it

Adult Herring Gull

Herring Gull adult, winter plumage

This young Herring found some of the bait left on the slipway, if the Great Black-backed Gulls spot it they'll drive it off

"I'm gonna make you a star" (David Essex 1975), or simply eat you. I watched an adult continually bring just fledged birds many starfish at the cliffs in summer

The lobster fishermen were cleaning out their "sunks" of old bait as they'd brought their gear in due to impending bad weather. Note, sunks is the Arbroath "fit o the toon" word for lobster pots, a line of them tied together and to a marker buoy are a "basher"

Grey Heron, on the Brothock Burn behind E&O Fish and the Community Centre

Linnets, seen and counted for a survey I was doing as part of the Corn Bunting project. More on that later, certainly in early January

Rota week regulars

   
Birds from our forest hide, and where possible without man-made articles in the shot. There were as usual many, many Coal Tits and small numbers of everything else in the photos. A Jay came near and had a look and decided it wasn't worth the risk. At this time of year, with the sun only 10 degrees above the horizon at midday, photography isn't great, fortunately modern DSLR's can handle high ISO's quite well.

Coal Tit

Blue Tit

Great Tit

Chaffinch male

Dunnock

Robin