I was asked this week by Olive's daughter why there were "100's" of pheasants running around in one of the glens. I found this online and it seemed to explain it, her reply was "That’s just absolutely shocking!!"
"Pheasants. Between 50 and 62 million non-native pheasants and red-legged partridges are reared in, and also imported into Britain each year. They are treated in cages with drugs and antibiotics then released into the countryside on shooting estates, and fed to keep them from wandering. Because they are tame, and stupid, beaters are employed to chase them up into the air with white flags and whistles so mostly rich people shoot them with lead shot. Only about 30% of the released birds are killed, the rest die on roads and are very easy prey for foxes, that's why fox numbers are artificially high. The estates shoot, snare and poison thousands of foxes each year. There isn't a market for shot birds and many are dumped, some go to supermarkets and have been found to have highly toxic lead fragments in their flesh. During the time the birds are in the wild they out-compete native birds, eat small native fauna including frogs, lizards and insects. And it's all so toffs, tories and psychos can have fun."
Common Gull with Herring Gull in the background
Little Grebe
Canada Geese, looks like a family group with two 1st winters on the left
Pale-bellied Brent Geese, although the lower bird is very dark-bellied, I assume it's a 1st winter age group
Red-breasted Merganser
Wigeon
Great black-backed Gull 1st winter, Victoria Park
Same gull
Pied Wagtail at Victoria Park, Arbroath
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