Montrose Basin and the surrounding area (3 Viewers)

[burnie]

Quick visit to Balgavies to see the Osprey and to see if the Otters are about after yesterdays show, but no Otters, did get this though, you can just see the one chick in front of mum.
Osprey and new Chick by tigerburnie, on Flickr

 

[burnie]

Not long back from a walk round the village fields, star of the day was a Black Redstart, a first for me in Scotland, also a pair of Reed Buntings quite a few Sand Martins and a couple of Swallows, very hot now, so very little stirring.

 

[Stonefaction]

What sex/age was your Black Redstart? (any pics?) There have been young birds which turned up on the Isle of May over the years relatively early in the 'Autumn' (though I can't remember how early) and possibly elsewhere (Angus/Lothian coast?) which didn't appear to have likely traveled too far. I also recall that the species was claimed as having been recorded in one of the less visited Angus Glens during a 3 year survey conducted by a German team - though it did have some other 'odd' sightings listed too. There is plenty of Angus which likely never sees a birder from one year to the next so although unlikely, perhaps there is a small (a few pairs?) breeding group somewhere - and maybe you've just stumbled on them....

 

[burnie]

Black Redstarts are frequently photographed in the Arbroath area, this looked like an adult male to me, but not sure, I didn't have a camera and the wife's phone shots are terrible sadly. Where I lived in Derbyshire we had a resident pair that over wintered in the power station on the edge of our village.

 

[Stonefaction]

Black Redstarts are frequently photographed in the Arbroath area, this looked like an adult male to me, but not sure, I didn't have a camera and the wife's phone shots are terrible sadly. Where I lived in Derbyshire we had a resident pair that over wintered in the power station on the edge of our village.

They do regularly turn up along the coast around Arbroath in winter - found one myself between the harbour and Gayfield in December 2018 that stayed into the following year. July seems an odd time for finding one in Angus, but it does loosely tie in with the Isle of May birds, and seems to have the potential to perhaps help solve the mystery of where those particular birds are arriving from.

 

[burnie]

A walk to the Scurdie Nees lighthouse on a very windy afternoon produced a few birds, only 3 Gannets went by in an hour, a lot less than usual, couple of Herring Gulls, quite a lot of Eiders in eclipse, couple of Shags a few Starlings and Rock Pipits and 3 Red Breasted Merganser females, at least I think that's what these are, keep mixing these females with the Goosanders.
20220713145406 by tigerburnie, on Flickr

 

[Stonefaction]

They are Goosanders. Easiest way to tell them apart with views like these is the clear line marking the lower extremes of the orange on the head. On RBMs it fades into the grey with no clean line (though juvenile Goosanders orange is also rather diffuse where it meets the rest of the plumage). There are other slightly less obvious pointers - Goosander has a noticeable hook to the tip of the bill, the 'neatly combed hair' look of Goosander versus 'scruffy spiky hair' of RBM and a few others that any decent fieldguide will show.

 

[burnie]

Had a wander round the village fields, over the Barley/Rape seed and Wheat were really good numbers of Swifts, a few Swallows and good numbers of House Martins and Sand Martins, no idea where they have come from as the village has been empty of nesting birds. I was really worried a week or so ago as I'd seen nothing.

 

[burnie]

Greenshanks and a White Rumped Sandpiper have been filmed at the basin over the past couple of days.

 

[burnie]

Three families of Yellowhammers sat on the power lines on our evening walk, one family of Linnets one Reed Warbler and 2 Sedge Warblers in the gorse along with a lone Wren. £ Geese flew over but they were just a silhouette and couldn't be sure, looked a bit skinny for Greylags? Might go out in a bit with the Bat monitor, still trying to find a Barn Owl in the area, sure there must be some.

 

[burnie]

Spent a couple of hours in my local forset, not a lot moving, couple of Jays and a Greater Spotted Woodpecker and this young bird, I think a Warbler, but which one?

https://flic.kr/p/2nAVBix

 

[burnie]

I'm settling on Willow Warbler

 

[burnie]

Two Garden Warblers munching Hoverflies in my garden today.

 

[Andy Strachan]

Two Garden Warblers munching Hoverflies in my garden today.

Haven't even seen or heard one this year, anywhere though I might've at the weekend just past. Caught sight of a bird through the binoculars, and it caught me off guard, I didn't immediately recognise it, so in the 2 seconds it took me to swap from binoculars to camera it vanished! So i'll never know for sure. I'm not overly familiar with them, as I've only seen a few, ever, and haven't ever heard one sing (as far as I know), only visually. I'm hoping I can rely on the fact that I should know Blackcap songs really well, so an oddity should stand out. I don't understand why I haven't found one in my local park, it just seems like the perfect place for them!
Annoying when they get away haha

 

[burnie]

We get regular visits every year at this time, my garden is full of flowers and shrubs for insects and butterflies and this seems to attract them, I guess they are starting their migration.

 

[burnie]

Had three hours in the forest in some rather hot and windy conditions, not ideal for bird watching, very little about and what was on show was mostly juveniles, which was nice to see. Wren, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Siskin, Great Tit and this young Robin, spotted a Lizard on the way in and a lot of Butterflies including some Common Blue.
Young Robin by tigerburnie, on Flickr

 

[burnie]

Black Guillemot at Mains of Usan yesterday

 

[burnie]

Seems our pair of Swifts have 3 youngsters, all of them flying over the village and screaming, the sound of high summer.

 

[burnie]

Had a walk to the lighthouse yesterday, still plenty of Terns, but the lack of sea birds was most disappointing, bird flu really does seem to have hit them, only one Guillemot, zero Gannets, one Lesser Blackback Gull but you could hear some Terns in the fog. A Kestrel kept us company on the walk

 

[burnie]

Had another wander down to the light house, hoping for a Whale, but no sightings, did get 2 Whimbrels a few Gannets, lots of Terns still feeding in the river mouth. This Pipit kept me company.
Rock Pipit by tigerburnie, on Flickr