Montrose Basin and the surrounding area (1 Viewer)

[Ian Bell]

Back to the hospital next week to see if I get my operation( they cancelled last weeks attempt), so I may be garden watching for a couple of weeks.

Hope all goes well with the op Burnie and you're back out and about asap. :t:

 

[Andy Adcock]

We drove around and around this bloody place in 1992 and never actually found the way in!

We could see down in to the place from the roads we were driving on but prior to GPS, we never found access and left without getting in after about a dozen circuits.

 

[Andy Adcock]

It's great to see your reports coming through for Montrose; quite giving me itchy feet to get over there again.

It would be great if you could post some of your lovely pictures in the Gallery too, lad.... we don't have all that many for that reserve in there sadly.

I think I know why Delia, no one can find the way in.........

 

[burnie]

Hope all goes well with the op Burnie and you're back out and about asap. :t:

Thanks, just key hole op hopefully, so shouldn't be out of action for too long.

 

[burnie]

We drove around and around this bloody place in 1992 and never actually found the way in!

We could see down in to the place from the roads we were driving on but prior to GPS, we never found access and left without getting in after about a dozen circuits.

Things have changed now, you should return some time, you can always give me a shout.

 

[burnie]

 

[delia todd]

I think I know why Delia, no one can find the way in.........

Well I managed several visits from the mid-late nineties Including the walk from the Lurgies car park to Bridge of Dun (very pleasant).

I've added a couple of extra map links and another web site to the Opus article.

There's three main access points and at least one other I know of underneath the railway bridge. I've never been to the Shelduck and Wigeon hides, as they were a bit of a walk for me (at that time anyway!)

I didn't know about the viewing screen, can anyone tell me where the access point is for it?

 

[burnie]

Viewing screen? do you mean the tv screen inside the visitors centre?
https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/watch-wildlife-online/montrose-basin-webcam/

 

[burnie]

Had a nice walk not too far away from the basin and found 3 cuckoos sat in one tree, no calls, they were sheltering from the wind, I guess they have just arrived.

 

[delia todd]

Gosh! Cuckoos.... that was not on my mind when I came in to read your report Burnie LOL!!

It's great to see this thread on the go again. Hope you've been keeping well through the year lad.

 

[burnie]

Thanks Delia, we are only going for walks, so limited to how far we can go, migrants should be arriving on the coast now, a lot of the Pink Foots seem to be leaving.

 

[burnie]

Had a wander down to Scurdie Ness lighthouse, a few Swallows about, lot of singing Skylarks, Sedge Warbler singing and even the Eiders are still courting on the river, day topped off with 5 Bottle Nosed Dolphins came out of the harbour and went off towards Usan.

 

[burnie]

Had another wander down to Scurdie Ness, no Dolphins, but plenty of farmland birds around, 2 pairs of Whitethroats, several singing Skylarks, a Linnet along with a Harbour Seal in the river mouth. We called in at Elephant Rock on the way home, a couple of Fulmars sat on nests along with a pair of Herring Gulls, a lot of Eider males in the area, I'm guessing the females will be sat on nests now. More Whitethroats seen on the way back to the car along with a pair of Blue Tits nesting in the dry stone wall.

 

[Gander]

I was working with a guy a couple of weeks ago, who was talking about Elephant Rock. His dad used to collect gull eggs there to eat.😳

 

[burnie]

I've been told residents from Arbroath and Auchmithie collected Gulls eggs for food from the cliffs right into the 1960's

 

[MJB]

I've been told residents from Arbroath and Auchmithie collected Gulls eggs for food from the cliffs right into the 1960's

That ended when the last diehards died, or fell off the cliffs. Youngsters stopped doing that when portable transistor radios came along, a far better way to impress the young ladies...
MJB
(Arbroath born: know Auchmithie well)

 

[burnie]

Had a wander round Forfar loch today, water very high after all the rain, only one pair of Great Crested Grebes visible and zero nests, a couple of Coots, half a dozen Mallards a few Mute Swans and a Heron, never seen it so quiet. We did find 8 Magpies, so if 7 is for a secret never to be told, we decided that 8 is a big fat lottery win for us this weekend...............................

 

[burnie]

Hmmm those Magpies weren't very lucky then

 

[burnie]

I was worried that the cold snap last month might have hit the breeding birds this year, well my garden is awash with young Starlings, Blackbirds, House Sparrows and Dunnocks, so it seems all is well so far.

 

[burnie]

After visiting St. Cyrus, we called in at Scurdie Ness for a bit of sea watching, a very strong wind flattened the sea, but no mammals on display. Eiders, Cormorants, Lesser Black backed Gull, a few very distant Gannets and a few Terns, more Linnets and Skylarks, a very odd, quiet day really.