Arbroath Cliffs, and a revisit to Auchmithie on Friday, but a wee bit late in getting there. The first photos are from Arbroath Cliffs mostly taken too late in the afternoon, with just a small window of sunlight shining through cloud.
Just one new species at Auchmithie when I found 2 Meadow Pipits near my car as I left to go to the cliffs. It looked like all of the birds from Thursday had remained in the old schoolhouse field, and the birds from Seafield had joined them. I watched a couple of walkers walk around the track and path and many 100's of birds flew into various adjacent fields. I found some limited shelter from the cold wind by sitting in the snow against a dyke, and watched as the birds returned in small flocks. 19 Corn Buntings obliged and landed in a tree, but just too far from my camera.
Not many birds to see at the Cliffs with a few of the winter thrushes apparently left behind from Thursday's movement south, all singletons.
Fieldfare at the top of the ramp at Whiting Ness, Arbroath Cliffs
Redwing, between Whiting Ness and Dickmont's Den
A Redwing at St Ninian's Well (The Wishing Well). I couldn't find or verify much about St Ninian so I've quoted some "tradition" which in Scotland is usually the history we prefer to believe! "Tradition holds that Ninian was a Briton who had studied in Rome, that he established an episcopal see at the Candida Casa in Whithorn, that he named the see for Saint Martin of Tours, that he converted the southern Picts to Christianity, and that he is buried at Whithorn". Or, https://angusfolklore.blogspot.com/2017/09/well-tell-me-more.html
Female Stonechat
Male Stonechat
Oystercatcher, a small group were feeding near St Ninian's Well, clearly hungry and not prepared to move away when walkers went past
Redshank, beside the Oystercatchers and not at all wary
Rock Pipit, perhaps not as richly coloured as the photo shows but the sun was very low at the time
Female Reed Bunting, Auchmithie
Male Reed Bunting
Meadow Pipit, almost in the village at Auchmithie with a second bird
Yellowhammer female
Skylarks
Collared Dove, in a large tree in the Church grounds, Auchmithie
Racing Pigeon, SU 23 AF 171, almost living in my garden recently. I'll have a go at tracing it, but I was told they don't always want lost birds back?
It took a number of different angled photos taken through a window to get all of the ring data
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