Guillemot check, Arbroath area

   
Just checking out my local area, following a route I'd likely take in winter. I started at the harbour so I could ask the lobster fishermen about Guillemots, they too were seeing dead birds in the harbour and at sea.

By the time I got to Victoria Park the tide was a bit high and there was a strong wind blowing, no much seen.

The tide was also too high at West Links where I saw a distant Red-throated Diver and the Cormorant below fishing.

Last call was at Keptie Pond where I hoped to get close views of the young Little Grebes but they'd grown up and were more wary.

Cormorant with a Butterfish, click here        Herring Gull with a crab        Count the Ringed plover, if you can

Eider, nearing winter adult plumage

Great Black-backed Gull, yellow ring 146:M, previously reported in late March, an Isle of May bird. I'm chuffed with this photo taken across the width of the harbour, I had another readable one taken in flight, both with my P1000 as all photos here except Keptie Pond ones were

"I will survive", even in Arbroath Harbour where Guillemots seem to be fishing successfully there have been dead birds found. Someone smarter than me said they favoured the idea of an algal bloom toxin, that makes sense to me as we had the heat and very calm seas where a bloom wouldn't break up as it would in a choppy or rough sea. No doubt we'll hear soon

An unusually unwary Herring Gull at Victoria Park, just like the flock that surrounded me when I had a roll in my hand. That isn't surprising as many people eating their McDonalds throw chips and more out of their cars, and no doubt moan about "too many gulls" later

You might think this crab is more of a natural food for gulls, and it is, but this crab was thrown to the gull by some lobster fishermen cleaning out their gear in Arbroath Harbour

Even the Great Black-backed Gulls wait patiently near cars to be fed, this one had those things McDonalds call fries, thin, soft and warm strands of tattie kept tepid for fast service

The Crows are less canny, this one was hopping about my feet as I sat in a shelter to avoid the gulls attention

Moving on to West Links, there were no gulls, the terns have gone and the tide was high. The only bird I saw was this Cormorant catching Butterfish and Blennies, being successful on more than half of its dives

Little Grebe at Keptie Pond, I could see four birds on a mostly still, weedy pond where the Carp were creating channels with their browsing

Juvenile Moorhen

There were around 40 Black-headed Gulls, most were preening and occasionally flying to be fed by walkers

Dunnock sneaking along the edge of some cover

Juvenile Blackbird having just dropped a worm it had found

Common Banded Hoverfly

There is a lovely patch of "bee friendly" flowers in a corner at Keptie Pond, when I checked it out there were no bees or butterflies, but many Drone Flies