Red-throated Diver, Scoters, Great Egret and Pink-footed Geese

A few days of photos from Montrose Basin, Lunan Bay and Arbroath Cliffs. 

Lunan had high numbers of Common Scoters and around 20+ Velvet Scoters in a long flock sitting quite far out. One Common Scoter drake had a very yellow bill and caused some interest and confusion, in some views it looked like a Black Scoter, video and screen grabs showed it wasn't. A single summer plumaged Red-throated Diver was coming very close to the shore before some screaming children stopped it's progress.

There were more waders, mostly Redshanks feeding on the south shoreline at Montrose Basin, and Pink-footed Geese were likely around 8,000 which is a big number during the middle of the day, more arrived and augmented the numbers nearer to Montrose which were too far away to count. A Great Egret remained and was mobile as the tide came in, it appeared to be flushed with most of the waders when a raptor flew in. 

At Arbroath Cliffs the sea birds have left and most of the flowers along the paths are over for the year, the predominant species still around were hoverflies and bumblebees.

Click the links for UHD videos, some at 125 times zoom.

Red-throated Diver, Lunan Bay      Great Egret, Maryton, Montrose Basin      Ringed Plover juveniles, Maryton      Large Pink-footed Goose flight      Common Scoter drake, Lunan Bay      Velvet Scoter drake      Pink-footed Geese pan

Red-throated Diver, Lunan Bay

Great Egret Maryton Bay

Closer but still needed 125 times zoom

Speckled Wood Butterfly in the car park at the Lurgies

Tiger Marsh Hoverfly Helophilus pendula, Olive's garden

Tiger Marsh Hoverfly Helophilus pendula, Arbroath Cliffs

Syrphus species, probably Syrphus ribesii Arbroath Cliffs

Common Globetail Sphaerophoria scripta Arbroath Cliffs

Tapered Drone Fly

Yellow-bellied Slider (Turtle) Keptie Pond

Common Crane Fly depositing eggs in my garden 

Olive's "returning" Robin, it's replaced the juvenile Herring Gull she seemed obsessed with...