Four Tit species and Basin Birds

   
On a cold and frosty day with dark clouds overhead I ventured out to Montreathmont Forest in search of Siskin and Lesser Redpoll. You'll not see them below, I did see both very near to the start of my walk, they were high in the trees and mobile, searching out something to eat in the pines and larch.

It was too cold to stay long enough to get all species looking natural in photos, so I've taken the easy way out and used photos on feeders.

Long-tailed Tits, click here      Great Tits, click here      The other Long-tailed Tits, click here

Blue Tit

Coal Tit

Great Tit

Long-tailed Tits

A bachled looking Coal Tit

Great Spotted Woodpecker female

Treecreeper, just a bit too far away in the gloom

Fieldfare at the start of the track to the Wigeon and Shelduck Hides at Montrose Basin. I counted nine birds

Mute Swans were feeding in the fields and apparently aren't spooked by the gas gun bird scarers. Unfortunately most of the other likely species clearly don't tolerate the noise. No Twite were found despite a lot of searching

Not bad this, Pink-footed Geese, Greylag Geese, Mute Swan and Whooper Swan. More of each species just out of shot

Black-tailed Godwit flying inland to look for some frost free feeding opportunies

Reed Bunting male, near the new Shelduck Hide where a pair of Stonechats were feeding in the field

Meadow Pipits in the same area near the hides

Ron and I have seen this Mute Swan on its own at the Lurgies/Slunks area and we questioned if it was sick (avian flu) or injured. It looks to have an injury, perhaps a broken or damaged wing. Otherwise it seems Ok, although a bit thin