Forest and Harbour teleconverter test

   
Short of time in the morning and with driving duty in the afternoon I was limited to where I could while away some time, so I decided to try and get to grips with my 1.7 teleconverter. I found it was better than I recalled if I dialled back the settings, it's something I'll be happy to use again, maybe I'll look again at the 2.0, but only on sunny days.

I went to Montreathmont where I could judge any photos against some I'd taken a week or so ago. You can see below what I saw, but missing from recent visits were, Siskin, Redpoll, Treecreeper, Brambling and Jay. Maybe it's spring already!

In the afternoon I managed a brief look at Arbroath Harbour where the dredger is keeping most birds away, and it was only half tide......

No video today.

With the dredger working in the outer harbour at Arbroath this Eider drake was fishing opposite the oil pier and closer than normal, it's just about to dive

I wasn't sure what it was catching but have decided it was probably small crabs

I was pleased to see that the two Dippers from previous posts have paired as I thought, both were feeding between Danger Point and the boat yard bridge

I think this Pied Wagtail was feeling left out and posed for me on the bridge

At around half tide some Redshanks were already roosting near the harbour exit

This Turnstone was far too close, and just in focus range when it landed beside me, this is the original photo shrunk not cropped

I didn't have time to go far today, so an hour at Montreathmont to assess my 1.7 teleconverter seemed appropriate

Blue Tit, less of them today

Coal Tit, many seem to have already dispersed into the forest

Still good numbers of Great Tits with many colouring up nicely

I can't recall ever seeing a Goldfinch with a ring before, this bird and its presumed partner were way to wary for me to get a good view of the numbers

Male Chaffinch, most were spending half of their time squabbling amongst themselves while the females fed on the feeders and ground

I just got a few brief views on this Dunnock which was still silent

I couldn't tell if the two Robins were a pair but there seemed to be a bit of a truce for a change