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Tayforth Birding (4 Viewers)
- Thread starter delia todd
- Start date
gus guthrie
gus guthrie
Drake Garganey feeding out in the open at the west end of Forfar Loch . next to the dual carrigeway at approx. 7pm.
kawwauser
Well-known member
over 100 male eiders resting on a bank in the sea beside the tayport pond ,
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/eiders.jpg
i was checking the pond looking for ducklings ,nothing yet,
the water at morton lochs was quiet 5 canada geese/1 pair of teals/1 mallard/2 moorhens/1 llittle grebe/3 herons/2 mutes,the surrounding trees are still full of birdsong and the path leading to the lochs gave me a chance to get a pic of a grey partdridge,
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/partrd.jpg
a report in the book states the beaver was captured at nearby kingsbarnes and relocated to edinburgh zoo, the otters and kingfishers are still showing regulary,there is no mention of the male garganey i saw last week making me wonder was it a male garganey ?
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/garg5b.jpg
the ditch beside the rail hide had hundreds of tadpoles and white butterflys were fluttering about
after leaving here i headed for lundie craggs to check on the ravens,they are reported to have 4 juvs ,i found 2 which were sitting on top of the craggs,both flew a short distance turned and landed back on the craggs,the male again was being aggressive,i also had my first cuckoo of the year here,i heard it calling from a distance and found it sitting on the wires at the top of the craggs being mobbed by meadow pipits,other birds seen were swallow/mistle thrush/chaffinch/linnit/buzzard/robin/pheasant/woodpigeon/3 roe deer,walking back along the bottom of the craggs i found a dead heron,i found the decomposed carcass of a kestrel a while back not far from here ,there are a lot of walkers up here and im sure any dodgy going ons would come to light,the weather was dull all day today but i still enjoyed my few hours walking.
dead heron pic
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/dheron.jpg
pheasant
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/pheasant2.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/eiders.jpg
i was checking the pond looking for ducklings ,nothing yet,
the water at morton lochs was quiet 5 canada geese/1 pair of teals/1 mallard/2 moorhens/1 llittle grebe/3 herons/2 mutes,the surrounding trees are still full of birdsong and the path leading to the lochs gave me a chance to get a pic of a grey partdridge,
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/partrd.jpg
a report in the book states the beaver was captured at nearby kingsbarnes and relocated to edinburgh zoo, the otters and kingfishers are still showing regulary,there is no mention of the male garganey i saw last week making me wonder was it a male garganey ?
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/garg5b.jpg
the ditch beside the rail hide had hundreds of tadpoles and white butterflys were fluttering about
after leaving here i headed for lundie craggs to check on the ravens,they are reported to have 4 juvs ,i found 2 which were sitting on top of the craggs,both flew a short distance turned and landed back on the craggs,the male again was being aggressive,i also had my first cuckoo of the year here,i heard it calling from a distance and found it sitting on the wires at the top of the craggs being mobbed by meadow pipits,other birds seen were swallow/mistle thrush/chaffinch/linnit/buzzard/robin/pheasant/woodpigeon/3 roe deer,walking back along the bottom of the craggs i found a dead heron,i found the decomposed carcass of a kestrel a while back not far from here ,there are a lot of walkers up here and im sure any dodgy going ons would come to light,the weather was dull all day today but i still enjoyed my few hours walking.
dead heron pic
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/dheron.jpg
pheasant
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/pheasant2.jpg
Last edited:
llendorin
Birdwatching Noob Extraordinaire!
Well, it's been quite a while since i reported on the happenings at Cullaloe, but this morning was a particularly good morning.
I went onto the reserve without any expectations. I was basically planning on carrying out one of my duties and going home.
I arrived, unlocked the gate and started walking along the path. Before i even got onto the main path, there was a pair of Goldfinches. Then, as I'm walking along, there was the usual unavoidable birdsong from the Willow Warblers, Chiffchaff, Chaffinches and Tits. There were also House Sparrows in the grounds of Cullaloe Cottage, the house which joins the reserve. For some reason, this is the only place we ever see them. They don't seem to be found on the reserve itself.
So, off i went, performed my duties, then decided to see what was happening on the loch. There was the usual suspects in Mute Swan, Moorhen, Coot, Dabchick, Mallard, a few Tufted Duck and the lingering pair of Teal. Not long after arriving, a group of Greylag Geese arrived, but were quickly chased off by the resident male swan. Needless to say, while the swans are nesting, they don't appreciate intrusions onto the loch!
Whilst I'm stood there, a pine cone falls beside me (The screen overlooking the loch is in a small stand of Scots pine), then another, then another. I had to duck to avoid the next one! I look up, and there are four Crossbill having their breakfast! I've worked at Cullaloe on an almost daily basis for the past two years, and never before have i seen Crossbills on the reserve. A superb sighting for me!
On the way back to the car, i got a couple of firsts for the year. I saw my first Sedge Warbler, heard my first Garden Warbler and also heard Grasshopper Warbler and saw Whitethroat (both of which have been on the reserve since the weekend - or at least, they've been noticed by me since then)
All in all, for what was only an hour long trip to the reserve, it was something rather special. It's taken me up to 48 bird species present on the reserve since the beginning of April (we record them on an April-Mar basis), which isn't too bad for a non-coastal site
I went onto the reserve without any expectations. I was basically planning on carrying out one of my duties and going home.
I arrived, unlocked the gate and started walking along the path. Before i even got onto the main path, there was a pair of Goldfinches. Then, as I'm walking along, there was the usual unavoidable birdsong from the Willow Warblers, Chiffchaff, Chaffinches and Tits. There were also House Sparrows in the grounds of Cullaloe Cottage, the house which joins the reserve. For some reason, this is the only place we ever see them. They don't seem to be found on the reserve itself.
So, off i went, performed my duties, then decided to see what was happening on the loch. There was the usual suspects in Mute Swan, Moorhen, Coot, Dabchick, Mallard, a few Tufted Duck and the lingering pair of Teal. Not long after arriving, a group of Greylag Geese arrived, but were quickly chased off by the resident male swan. Needless to say, while the swans are nesting, they don't appreciate intrusions onto the loch!
Whilst I'm stood there, a pine cone falls beside me (The screen overlooking the loch is in a small stand of Scots pine), then another, then another. I had to duck to avoid the next one! I look up, and there are four Crossbill having their breakfast! I've worked at Cullaloe on an almost daily basis for the past two years, and never before have i seen Crossbills on the reserve. A superb sighting for me!
On the way back to the car, i got a couple of firsts for the year. I saw my first Sedge Warbler, heard my first Garden Warbler and also heard Grasshopper Warbler and saw Whitethroat (both of which have been on the reserve since the weekend - or at least, they've been noticed by me since then)
All in all, for what was only an hour long trip to the reserve, it was something rather special. It's taken me up to 48 bird species present on the reserve since the beginning of April (we record them on an April-Mar basis), which isn't too bad for a non-coastal site
Last edited:
kawwauser
Well-known member
found some mallard ducklings at last,there was a female with 6 youngsters at morton lochs just before dark last night,they were in the water at the rail hide and swam up onto the island to rest for the night,i think all the ducklings in dundee get ate by gulls these were the first iv,e seen for quite a while,
pics
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/ducklingsb.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/dusk3.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/dusk2.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/dusk.jpg
pics
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/ducklingsb.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/dusk3.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/dusk2.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/dusk.jpg
kawwauser
Well-known member
well done on the egret beutifull bird ,
i had a very enjoyable day today(06/05/09) walking from arbroath harbour to auchmithie,my main aim was seabirds but the highlight was small birds,m/ f linnits stonechats yellowhammers reedbuntings rock pipits house martins swifts skylarks pied wagtails starlings blue tits chaffinch were all showing well ,kestrel buzzards ,carrion crow,jacdaw,were also seen, sea birds seen were guillemot razorbill herring gull 1 great black backed gull ,kittiwake, shag(building nests)fulmar,1 gannet flying north very near the cliff top, oystercatchers,curlews, eiders, no puffins though maybe sitting in burrows ,i also saw a grey seal in arbroath harbour plus a graylag sitting at the edge of the harbour
pics
stonechat
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/rfst8.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/rfst13.jpg
greylag
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/rgrl1.jpg
seal
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/seal4b.jpg
i had a very enjoyable day today(06/05/09) walking from arbroath harbour to auchmithie,my main aim was seabirds but the highlight was small birds,m/ f linnits stonechats yellowhammers reedbuntings rock pipits house martins swifts skylarks pied wagtails starlings blue tits chaffinch were all showing well ,kestrel buzzards ,carrion crow,jacdaw,were also seen, sea birds seen were guillemot razorbill herring gull 1 great black backed gull ,kittiwake, shag(building nests)fulmar,1 gannet flying north very near the cliff top, oystercatchers,curlews, eiders, no puffins though maybe sitting in burrows ,i also saw a grey seal in arbroath harbour plus a graylag sitting at the edge of the harbour
pics
stonechat
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/rfst8.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/rfst13.jpg
greylag
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/rgrl1.jpg
seal
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/seal4b.jpg
Loch Leven Heritage Trail at Vane Farm
There were still large numbers of Gadwall viewable from the Levenmouth hide yesterday, Sedge Warblers singing in the bushes near to Vane Farm, a couple of Wheatear on the far side of the Flood and this Treecreeper on the Heritage Trail.
Michael
There were still large numbers of Gadwall viewable from the Levenmouth hide yesterday, Sedge Warblers singing in the bushes near to Vane Farm, a couple of Wheatear on the far side of the Flood and this Treecreeper on the Heritage Trail.
Michael
Attachments
At Levenmouth Pools again, there were still lots of Gadwall and a pair of nesting Shoveler, but the highlight was a Garganey feeding in full view of the hide. I had a try at 'digiscoping' it—by holding my camera up to the scope's eyepiece. Hard to get it really sharp. We'll just call it a record shot.
Elsewhere around Vane Farm there were Sedge Warblers, Whitethroat and Reed Bunting along the Heritage Trail, Mergansers on Loch Leven, and Redshank and Skylarks around the Flood.
Michael
Elsewhere around Vane Farm there were Sedge Warblers, Whitethroat and Reed Bunting along the Heritage Trail, Mergansers on Loch Leven, and Redshank and Skylarks around the Flood.
Michael
Attachments
kawwauser
Well-known member
i had my first little grebe chick yesterday at morton lochs,the female was sitting on a nest in front of the christie hide,at first i wasn,t sure it was sitting on a nest ,the nest was very flimsy,a male appeared with a fish and the female left the nest exposing 2 small heads,the male dissapeared and the 2 chicks left the nest and swam about next to the female who dived repeatedly and fed them both,the chicks dived themselves but surfaced empty handed,ill be watching them over the next few weeks and hopefully they will come close enough to get a pic of the family
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/lgrebeb.jpg
i had another great view of a heron with a little bit of luck they might bring their offspring along to morton
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/heron87.jpg
i spent the afternoon looking for puffins between arbroath and auchmithie,none spotted again ,i checked their usual nesting burrow area but nothing ,other watchers also asked if they had been spotted,i came across a fulmar which has hijacked a herring gulls nest,i cant see the fulmar going back to nesting on a bare ledge after experiencing this comfortable home
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/fulmar1.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/lgrebeb.jpg
i had another great view of a heron with a little bit of luck they might bring their offspring along to morton
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/heron87.jpg
i spent the afternoon looking for puffins between arbroath and auchmithie,none spotted again ,i checked their usual nesting burrow area but nothing ,other watchers also asked if they had been spotted,i came across a fulmar which has hijacked a herring gulls nest,i cant see the fulmar going back to nesting on a bare ledge after experiencing this comfortable home
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/fulmar1.jpg
kawwauser
Well-known member
i had a superb day over in fife today,one of those rare days when you get a totally unexpected experience,i had a brilliant start with a close encounter with an otter at morton lochs,i was sitting in the christie hide checking the little grebes, the female was swimming with her 2 chicks not far from the nest,the otter appeared from the bank on the right and dived into the water,it swam directly under the hide and couldnt be any closer, iv,e read reports of it being right in front of the hide but didn,t think it came this close,
the trees around this hide cause a large shaddow to form which made taking a pic difficult,i tried a few pics then just watched the otter,it swam about looking up to the hide but didn,t show any fear,it investigated a straw bale llying in the water then swam to the right,there was 2 mutes with 7 cygnets sitting in the shallow water here, the adults watched the otter and as it passed them it dived causing one of the adults to start hissing,i headed to the berry hide hoping to see it in better light,it never showed which was probably for the better as a female mallard with6 ducklings was swimming about,tufted ducks/swifts/swallows/buzzards/wren/sedge warblers/moorhen were seen here, a male sparrow hawk (first of the year for me) passed over carrying prey,1 little grebe sitting on a nest and 2 herons,on way way back to the christie hide i passed a bat,some people were checking their boxes and were leaving as i arrived,back at the christie hide the mute family had moved over to the far side,i could only see 1 little grebe chick and feared the worst,15 mins later the male appeared with the 2nd chick in tow,a kingfisher flew towards the hide banked right and gave a good view of the browns on its underbellt,towards the railway hide i had yellowhammer/linnit/dunnock/chaffinch/woodpigeon/wren/pied wagtail/robin,tadpoles/roe deer/blue damslfly
leaving morton i was thinking the otter was certainly going to be the highlight of the day but then the eden centre produced another highlight a family of foxes,the vixen was sitting with her cubs over by the jet runway,they were near the waterfront,they were to far to get a decent pic of and i watched them through my binocluars,the vixen was watching over the cubs sometimes she was sitting down at other times she stood up,then she lay down ,she never left the spot while i was there, jets took off and never bothered them,another watcher in the hide had a scope and counted 6 cubs,there was not a lot of birds around gulls/shellduck/goosander/oystercatcher/swallow/swift,a buzzard flew over the hide and headed for the trees opposite the hide,it turned and started to dive some intruder,i scanned the area and found another fox,it was sitting under the fence on the oposite side of the hide,it was clearly stalking something,it rushed towards its prey(rabbit) and the rabbit ran under some rocks and immediatly came out the other side,the fox gave chase and altough i didn,t see it catch the rabbit i think it did come to an untimely end,the buzzard landed nearby very low down and kept watching as if to see if the fox left any leftovers,other birds seen on my travel were st andrews
fulmar/jackdaw/rock pipit/sandwich tern/house sparrow/eiders/cormorant
tentsmuir beach area
great views of some low flying swifts/lapwing/ringed plover/1 pair of snipes /reed buntings/skylarks,tadpoles/small copper buterfly
some pics
morton lochs
the otter
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/ott6b.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/ott2b.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/ott3b.jpg
mallard with ducklings
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/dcklss.jpg
mute swan family in the first pic the adult is hissing at the passing otter
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/swanh.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/swanfb.jpg
eden centre
fox on the scent
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/fox.jpg
the attack
the rabbit can be sen here leaving the hole to the right,the blurred bird above the fox is the diveboming buzzard
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/fox2b.jpg
the fox quickly changed his attack,the rabbit is again on the right ruuning up the bank
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/fox3b.jpg
seconds later
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/fox4b.jpg
tenstmuir
ringed plover
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/plv2.jpg
unitentified cattepillar
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/cattp-1.jpg
beach shots
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/tentsm1.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/tentsm3.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/tentsm2.jpg
the trees around this hide cause a large shaddow to form which made taking a pic difficult,i tried a few pics then just watched the otter,it swam about looking up to the hide but didn,t show any fear,it investigated a straw bale llying in the water then swam to the right,there was 2 mutes with 7 cygnets sitting in the shallow water here, the adults watched the otter and as it passed them it dived causing one of the adults to start hissing,i headed to the berry hide hoping to see it in better light,it never showed which was probably for the better as a female mallard with6 ducklings was swimming about,tufted ducks/swifts/swallows/buzzards/wren/sedge warblers/moorhen were seen here, a male sparrow hawk (first of the year for me) passed over carrying prey,1 little grebe sitting on a nest and 2 herons,on way way back to the christie hide i passed a bat,some people were checking their boxes and were leaving as i arrived,back at the christie hide the mute family had moved over to the far side,i could only see 1 little grebe chick and feared the worst,15 mins later the male appeared with the 2nd chick in tow,a kingfisher flew towards the hide banked right and gave a good view of the browns on its underbellt,towards the railway hide i had yellowhammer/linnit/dunnock/chaffinch/woodpigeon/wren/pied wagtail/robin,tadpoles/roe deer/blue damslfly
leaving morton i was thinking the otter was certainly going to be the highlight of the day but then the eden centre produced another highlight a family of foxes,the vixen was sitting with her cubs over by the jet runway,they were near the waterfront,they were to far to get a decent pic of and i watched them through my binocluars,the vixen was watching over the cubs sometimes she was sitting down at other times she stood up,then she lay down ,she never left the spot while i was there, jets took off and never bothered them,another watcher in the hide had a scope and counted 6 cubs,there was not a lot of birds around gulls/shellduck/goosander/oystercatcher/swallow/swift,a buzzard flew over the hide and headed for the trees opposite the hide,it turned and started to dive some intruder,i scanned the area and found another fox,it was sitting under the fence on the oposite side of the hide,it was clearly stalking something,it rushed towards its prey(rabbit) and the rabbit ran under some rocks and immediatly came out the other side,the fox gave chase and altough i didn,t see it catch the rabbit i think it did come to an untimely end,the buzzard landed nearby very low down and kept watching as if to see if the fox left any leftovers,other birds seen on my travel were st andrews
fulmar/jackdaw/rock pipit/sandwich tern/house sparrow/eiders/cormorant
tentsmuir beach area
great views of some low flying swifts/lapwing/ringed plover/1 pair of snipes /reed buntings/skylarks,tadpoles/small copper buterfly
some pics
morton lochs
the otter
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/ott6b.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/ott2b.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/ott3b.jpg
mallard with ducklings
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/dcklss.jpg
mute swan family in the first pic the adult is hissing at the passing otter
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/swanh.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/swanfb.jpg
eden centre
fox on the scent
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/fox.jpg
the attack
the rabbit can be sen here leaving the hole to the right,the blurred bird above the fox is the diveboming buzzard
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/fox2b.jpg
the fox quickly changed his attack,the rabbit is again on the right ruuning up the bank
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/fox3b.jpg
seconds later
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/fox4b.jpg
tenstmuir
ringed plover
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/plv2.jpg
unitentified cattepillar
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/cattp-1.jpg
beach shots
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/tentsm1.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/tentsm3.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/tentsm2.jpg
Nicola Main
Well-known member
Hi kawwauser (sorry don't know your real name). The caterpillar is a Garden Tiger moth caterpillar which I have always wanted to see. I love your photos 
Stuarty
wut
Just home from an enjoyable long weekend at Tummel Valley. Never had a chance to get out and about much as the wee boy's buggy isn't off-road friendly, however did stumble upon an Osprey nest on the south shore of Loch Rannoch! Not the first time I've seen an Osprey, but certainly the first time I've found an nest I wasn't already aware of.
To make my day even more satisfying, we stopped at the same spot on the return journey to again look at the Osprey, only to have a male Cuckoo fly past us and land on an overhead wire. Was a first for me - well, it wasn't, as my dad assures me we saw one when I was younger, but my rule is that if I can't remember it then it didn't happen!
Other highlights were a flock of Redpolls, a Bullfinch and Willow Warbler in the tree directly outside our caravan, and my girlfriend's first Grey Wagtail!
To make my day even more satisfying, we stopped at the same spot on the return journey to again look at the Osprey, only to have a male Cuckoo fly past us and land on an overhead wire. Was a first for me - well, it wasn't, as my dad assures me we saw one when I was younger, but my rule is that if I can't remember it then it didn't happen!
Other highlights were a flock of Redpolls, a Bullfinch and Willow Warbler in the tree directly outside our caravan, and my girlfriend's first Grey Wagtail!
kawwauser
Well-known member
female mallard with 11 ducklings morton loch 04/06/09
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/dck-1.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/dckb.jpg
26 sec vid showing some bird calls at the berry hide,any id on the birds would be apreciated
http://s33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/?action=view¤t=Picture044-1.flv
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/dck-1.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/dckb.jpg
26 sec vid showing some bird calls at the berry hide,any id on the birds would be apreciated
http://s33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/?action=view¤t=Picture044-1.flv
Last edited:
Seaton Cliffs
This site says, of Seaton Cliffs:
The trail goes into areas of SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) and the sea cliffs are spectacular. There are 15 interpretative points of interest along the trail and you're likely to spot a wide variety of sea birds including Guillemots, Razorbill, Eider Duck, Rock Doves, Fulmars, Herring Gulls, Shags and Kittiwakes. Look out for passing Peregrine Falcons, Dolphins and comical Puffins too.
Whereas this site says:
Rock doves nest in the sandstone caves and house martins build their mud nests beneath the overhangs. There are not many ledges on these cliffs so comparatively few seabirds nest on the reserve. However, a few fulmars and herring gulls nest both on the cliffs and on the stacks offshore.
My wife and I are intending to go there this weekend and I'd like to know what to expect. Is it worth a long drive?
Michael
This site says, of Seaton Cliffs:
The trail goes into areas of SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) and the sea cliffs are spectacular. There are 15 interpretative points of interest along the trail and you're likely to spot a wide variety of sea birds including Guillemots, Razorbill, Eider Duck, Rock Doves, Fulmars, Herring Gulls, Shags and Kittiwakes. Look out for passing Peregrine Falcons, Dolphins and comical Puffins too.
Whereas this site says:
Rock doves nest in the sandstone caves and house martins build their mud nests beneath the overhangs. There are not many ledges on these cliffs so comparatively few seabirds nest on the reserve. However, a few fulmars and herring gulls nest both on the cliffs and on the stacks offshore.
My wife and I are intending to go there this weekend and I'd like to know what to expect. Is it worth a long drive?
Michael
kawwauser
Well-known member
that second report mainly concerns the first few hundred yards of the cliffs,looking at the website not a lot of effort has been used here,you can see razorbill/guillemots/shags not far from the start of the walk if you look down near the bottom of the cliffs,if you want to see them on their nesting ledges you will have to walk further along the trail,the pic below shows you where the seabird main colony starts(look for the white droppings)
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/arbrth2.jpg
from here you can see hundreds of razorbills/kittiwakes/guillemots,flying around ,shags are on the ledges to,
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/arbrth.jpg
its about an hours walk from the arbroath side to the seabirds or about 15 min walk from the auchmithie side,
there are loads of smaller birds along the trail including stonechats/pipts/yellpwhammer/reedbunting/skylark,
its a very popular walk with both nature lovers and photgraphers
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/arbrth2.jpg
from here you can see hundreds of razorbills/kittiwakes/guillemots,flying around ,shags are on the ledges to,
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/arbrth.jpg
its about an hours walk from the arbroath side to the seabirds or about 15 min walk from the auchmithie side,
there are loads of smaller birds along the trail including stonechats/pipts/yellpwhammer/reedbunting/skylark,
its a very popular walk with both nature lovers and photgraphers
kawwauser
Well-known member
the mutes at tayport pond have 11 cygnets
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/cygnerts.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/cygnerts.jpg
