Montrose Basin and the surrounding area (1 Viewer)

[burnie]

Had an hour or so wander round Balgavies Loch, male Osprey sat on guard and female sat tight on the nest with a couple of Swifts buzzing round removing some insects from round her head. Hundred or more Greylag geese and little else on the loch, pair of Tufties, a pair of Mallards and 3 Coots. A few small songbirds heard but not seen, possible Garden Warbler and a Blackcap. Loads of male Common Blue Damsel flies on the wing and a couple of early purple orchids found too.

 

[burnie]

Some of the pictures

 

[delia todd]

Thanks Burnie. I've not been to Balgavies for a while.

I take it the Greylag is no longer using the Osprey nest for breeding? (Or was it just roosting on it.... can't remember?)

 

[burnie]

That Greylag got a nasty case of lead poisoning I heard........................

 

[delia todd]

Oh I'd not heard that Burnie.

Thanks.

 

[burnie]

Had our first pair of Swifts over the garden, I do hope they stay, they haven't nested in our village for at least 5 years.

 

[burnie]

Just been out with the Bat detector, good numbers of Common and Soprano Pipistrelles out tonight, any one else got a fascination with wee flying meeces?

 

[burnie]

Spent the day on the South Esk close to the basin, a couple of pairs of territorial Common Sandpipers, another couple of pairs of Grey Wagtails, a Grey Heron(who was catching more fish than me), a Kingfisher constantly going up and down the river and good numbers of Swifts flying over head, barking Roe deer bucks completed the sound track for the day, they seem to be late rutting this year.

 

[burnie]

Went for a walk round Balgavies Loch in the rain, very little to be seen, Male Osprey sat by the nest and the Female had a couple of flights round the island, there are apparently 3 chicks, but they were keeping their heads down in the wet. Apart from around a hundred Greylag Geese and 4 Mute Swans, it was very quiet.

 

[burnie]

Currently isolating due to close contact with my Grandson who has tested positive for covid(he's on the mend now, but his mum has it now), so birdwatching in the garden, we had 3 Swifts over us yesterday, love watching them, no Swallows since the old barns have been demolished for house building and few House Martins in the village now either.

 

[burnie]

Now completed our 10 days of isolation and had a negative covid test, so went for a nice walk above Lunan Bay, a small group of Dolphins visible and a largish group of Velvet Scoters, surprised to see them in the summer. Also a group of 4 Ravens, plenty of farmland birds, Skylarks everywhere, family of Yellowhammers on a wire, Swallows and House Martins feeding over the barley fields and a family of Wrens feeding amongst the undergrowth. Meadow Pipit with a beak full of food and a good number of Meadow Brown butterflies.

 

[burnie]

Selection of rather dim images, no sunlight sadly

 

[burnie]

Had a wander round Forfar Loch yesterday, a rather late nesting Great Crested Grebe sat tight at the car park end, they are learning to nest further out and building a bigger nest it would seem. Lots of Magpies, a Dabchick and little else out of the ordinary, lack of sun seemed to keep everything in hiding.

 

[burnie]

Went up to Scurdie Ness lighthouse, a flat sea with little moving, a few Arctic Terns a flock of a dozen or so Linnets and some Divers on the sea, I think Great Northerns but they were a long way out and seemed to have younger birds with them??

 

[burnie]

Yellowhammer singing it's little heart out

 

[burnie]

Bright sunny morning and we have Sand Martins, House Martins, Swallows and 4 Swifts hawking insects over our garden, there was also a Buzzard higher up calling as it soared by. Sadly we also had a juvenile Garden Warbler fly into the conservatory window and it didn't survive, we have hung all sorts of things in the windows to alert the birds, but sadly the young ones don't always know the danger.

 

[edenwatcher]

Went up to Scurdie Ness lighthouse, a flat sea with little moving, a few Arctic Terns a flock of a dozen or so Linnets and some Divers on the sea, I think Great Northerns but they were a long way out and seemed to have younger birds with them??

These are guillemots

Rob

 

[burnie]

Seven Swifts in a group flying low and screaming over the village, superb sight and sound, not seen any in the village for years, not sure where they nested, their old site wasn't used.

 

[burnie]

One adult and 2 juvenile Peregrine falcons flying over our garden, kids screaming for food drew my attention to them.

 

[burnie]

Had a visit to my local forest, not much about, a few Redpolls calling in the tree tops, heard a Goshawk bit didn't see it, a lot of butterflies about too.