It was a dull, breezy afternoon when I checked out Arbroath Harbour, I go there before going home in winter when I've been further afield. I always expect to see something and today it was a Long-tailed Duck which didn't move away from the centre of the the harbour, once it surfaced nearer when disturbed by a creel boat, and I got a few photos.
There were 31 Purple Sandpipers spread around in different sheltered spots, and 11 on the west breakwater, their preferred roost unless the sea is coming over it.
A surprise find was an Eider with a darvic ring, I can't recall ever seeing one before, or at least one I could photograph or read.
Latest information on the Eider from New Arc Wildlife Rescue. "It arrived into care as a dog attack victim on 29th October, with an injury to the neck and having lost some body condition post injury. The eider was in care for 28 days during which it received antibiotics, wound clean and then plenty of time outside in our waterbird section to re-waterproof and rebuild condition. It was released on 26/11/2023 at the river Ythan estuary at Newburgh beach. If you would like to see the release footage and story then please visit this link."
and, "It is a very special moment when we get to see a casualty again post release to know how it is doing, thank you again. There have been some fantastic ring recordings from birds rehabbed over the last few years at rescue centres across the country, showing that rehabilitation does indeed work in these species."
Purple Sandpipers at harbour Turnstone eating crab debris
Long-tailed Duck, female type in Arbroath Harbour
Eider Duck, fishing where the creel fishermen had dumped old bait, mostly surfacing with bits of flounders and other fish scraps
It took a lot of persistence to get a decent view of this ring which I'll research later. I think it's the first Eider ring I've seen, for obvious reasons
A small number of Turnstones were also feeding on parts of crabs which the fishermen leave for them when cleaning their creels, and often the birds can be seen on the boats
A quick visit to Newburgh, near Perth where five species of Thrush were briefly seen together feeding on parkland, obviously they were flushed by dogs! Redwing, Fieldfare, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush and Blackbirds
Teal were the only birds on the Tay at low tide within camera range, birds further out included Goldeneye, Mallard, Wigeon and Cormorants
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