Brambling and Crossbills

An "Angus Lochs" trip and to be honest not a great deal seen, but Common Crossbills and Bramblings were the quality birds seen and the Crossbills were at two sites and in numbers.

Whooper Swan video, click here for Flickr version

Whooper Swan 1st winter, click here for video

Crossbills in silhouette, click here for what it's worth

Brambling, Kinnordy feeder station, with one other a paler female nearby

No Tree Sparrows in my garden due to the Sparrowhawks so this Kinnordy one made the post

Female Crossbill was at the top of a very tall tree, seen with eleven other Crossbills at Lintrathen. A flock of at least thirty Crossbills were moving through the car park area at the Backwater Dam, always into the sun!

Unusual to see just one adult Whooper with the two 1st winter birds, another group had two adults and a single youngster. Seen from the elevated hide at Lintrathen

Post with no name

A bit of a tour in this post with photos from Dundee, Monikie, Fife, Carnoustie Golf Links, Arbroath and another angle of a Sparrowhawk in my garden which seems to be one of two separate birds according to Olive's descriptions and observations.

Forgot I took these Waxwing photos on the Kingsway this week!

Only four left when I drove past on Wednesday

Reports that they've moved to the Easter Cemetery, Arbroath Road, Dundee

Green Sandpiper, Monikie CP

Feeding on the exposed mud and gravel on the Island Pond near the anglers building

Constantly moving as people walking past shout down their phones, or dogs barking, or worse, throwing balls where the bird wants to feed

A Canon SX shot of one of three Redhead Smews seen at Cameron Reservoir, Fife

Another angle, not into the light of the ever present Sparrowhawk in my garden. Camera trap photo

Skylarks on Carnoustie Golf Links

Stonechat, CGL

Dunnock, CGL

Carrion Crow, CGL

Herring Gull, Victoria Park. What to photograph on windy, cold days? Sneak out of the car or hide, find a grisly looking gull, job done.

Water Pipit - screen grab..................

Since I couldn't get a photo of the Fife Water Pipit at Cocklemill Burn, (I didn't take the DSLR with me), I've manged to get two screen grabs from a video I took with the Canon SX60. Also a few from Montrose Basin including landscapes, a sign there were no birds, and a first photo from a new camera trap. Forgot I had the videos below, now hosted on Flickr which appears to do a better job than YouTube, also a Fox visiting my garden/street which is very rare, no footage...yet!.


Water Pipit, click here for Flickr hosted video

Black-necked Grebe collage, click here for Flickr video

Pintail pair from the Wigeon Hide, click here for Flickr video

Dunlin "murmuration" click here for Flickr video

Water Pipit, briefly in some light before returning to chase off a Rock Pipit from its patch

One of 77 Pintails seen from the Wigeon Hide, Montrose Basin on Saturday

Usually its an indication of an injured Pink-footed Goose if seen on its own and in this case it swam away and didn't attempt to fly. Canon SX60

Proof if needed that my feeders are attracting a Sparrowhawk. Photo from a camera trap

The Old Harbour, Montrose Basin on a gloomy mid-winter afternoon. Canon SX60

Miss Erskine's Bank

Shelduck Hides