Golden Plovers to wind turbine blades

The worst photo first, as it's the first time this season I've seen Golden Plovers, they were part of a flock of 86 behind near Gayfield.

Various sites are covered, and the photos from my Webs Survey at East Haven are at the bottom of this post, because it's the easiest way to import them! 

As mentioned before, changes to the blog template, the same one I've used for many years, has meant that I've lost control over how fonts are displayed on a phone. The posts are best viewed on a PC, or through a phone browser, at least for my Motorola.

A juvenile Little Gull around 600 metres off Montrose Beach

Golden Plover behind Gayfield Park (home of the Mighty Red Litchies), unfortunately looking into low sunlight

Greenfinches feeding on Rosa Rugosa hips on the pitch and putt course, the sun on my back

Curlew at West Links

Rock Pipit

Now at the Lurgies with a reflected Greenshank

Little Grebe, probably 16 near the car park

Little Egret, Lurgies

Pintails photographed from the Tayock Hide at Montrose Basin at a distance of 197 metres, also 2 Wigeon, and Mallards in the foreground

Turnstone, not seen very often on the basin

Little Egret at East Haven

A Goosander seen on my Webs Survey at East Haven

Black-headed Gull

Common Scoters, not seen often on my webs

Common Gull

One of the few Carrion Crows with white feathers, seen better when in flight

Redshank

Rock Pipit, they feed on the washed up seaweed on small insects

Olive who was my scribe on the survey asked me to photograph this ship on the horizon, it was laden with wind turbine blades. More turbines are being installed, another ship and a crane were placing the yellow bases

Pink-footed Geese, Lunan Bay Scoters

   
A post specifically for my "wee" brother who has been amazed at the numbers and noise of the Pink-footed Geese arriving at Montrose Basin. 

I think he's slowly becoming a birdwatcher....some say he's been doing that since his teens!

Links to UHD video below this photo.

A pan across a huge flock of Pink-footed Geese at Montrose Basin      Pink-footed Geese re-aligning

Common Scoters at Lunan Bay, Angus      Common Scoters in flight      Bar-tailed Godwit at Tayock moulting      

Curlew at Tayock      Redshank also Tayock

Baird's Sandpiper at St Cyrus

The Pectoral Sandpiper has been replaced with a Baird's Sandpiper at St Cyrus where it was in the company of 3 Ruff, 11 Ringed Plover and a steady passage of Swallows going south.

A White-winged Scoter was seen today (Dan P) at the north end of Lunan Bay, it won't be so easy to ID as the St Cyrus waders. Watch this space!

Baird's Sandpiper video, St Cyrus        

Baird's Sandpiper screenshots from video above

Ringed Plover at Westhaven

Bar-tailed Godwit Westhaven

Collared Dove through living room blinds, rare in my street and in the front garden

Return of Tree Sparrows to my garden, just two so far

"Olive's" Robin...also through blinds

The Caperer Caddisfly Halesus radiatus. Found near cool, clean streams, rivers, and sometimes lakes. None of these near my garden, unless from my pond, or the Brothock Burn, nearest point 731 metres!

Pink-footed Geese and Pintails, Montrose Basin

An hour in the seriously windswept Tayock Hide at Montrose Basin delivered the birds below, there would have been more without human disturbance.

Two videos in the links below, unfortunately I had my Z8 set up for HD instead of the usual UHD I use on my P1000, doh!

Pink-footed Geese, returned this week        Black-tailed Godwit

Pink-footed Goose, only a few ventured near to the Tayock Hide. A video sent to me from the Mallard Drive area showed hundreds widely spread across stubble fields

Pintails

One of the birds from above

Black-tailed Godwit

Same Godwit and the subject in the video above

Juvenile Grey Plover 210 metres north of the hide, photo from the hide

Juvenile Knot

Curlew

Greenshank

Oystercatcher on its way to wash something at the water's edge

Common Gull 2nd calendar year

Curlew

Why do people approach the hide and walk around the side to the front, which always flushes whatever they hope to see. There used to be screens at both sides which I think disappeared during covid...

Pectoral Sandpiper, St Cyrus NNR, on field flood

   
I was unaware that a flooded field at St Cyrus was a permanent feature and attracting migrating waders. A Pectoral Sandpiper was the rarest with a Little Stint, also Green Sandpiper, Greenshank, Ruff, Ringed Plover and Bar-tailed Godwits. Given the distance from the viewing point at a small tree, I decided videos at 2600mm - 3000mm was the best option, despite the windy conditions.

Other photos from Arbroath Harbour and my garden.

Pectoral Sandpiper, Little Stint, Greenshank and Ringed Plover - St Cyrus      Pectoral Sandpiper, most steady video 

Little Stint, in a sprint - actual speed      Pectoral Sandpiper and Greenshank      Bar-tailed Godwit, Maryton

Pectoral Sandpiper at St Cyrus, all three images are screenshots from the videos

Pectoral Sandpiper and Greenshank

Cormorant fishing in Arbroath Harbour

Oystercatcher at Danger Point, Arbroath

Rock Pipit on beach behind the Old Brewhouse

Male Sparrowhawk in my garden, no birds around for a week

A different Sparrowhawk flying over my garden, a female

Small White Butterfly

Common Drone Fly

Nettle-tap Moth (tiny)

Seven Spot Ladybird

Speckled Wood Butterfly

Wolf Spider species..