2 - FEBRUARY 2010 BIRD SIGHTINGS (ANGUS)

[Bob McCurley]

Feb. 21st 9-15am. CROSSBILLS 2 (Male and Female) at start of ride going down to hide at Montreathmont Forest.
SISKINS, REDPOLLS and 7 CROSSBILLS also seen in Polmood part of forest today (Per report by Dave Porteous).
Feeders all filled up at feeding station by Graham and I.

Feb. 21st 12noon WATER RAIL 1 at start of Lurgies Walk Montrose /Basin on left hand side.

Feb 21st On WeBS count today at Lunan Bay: Highlights were -- GOLDEN PLOVER 60, LONGTAILED DUCK 16, GOLDENEYE 1, RED THROATED DIVER 6 & COMMON SCOTER 49.

[Ian Hay]

10+ Black Grouse Lekking in an Angus Glen. Not the usual place so unsure if I should give more details

Ian

[Grant Balfour]

Loch mostly frozen over again with one pool across from the swamp hide.
Whoopers - 28 on the loch (another 56 in the field to the south of the reserve).
Shelduck (2),Oystercatcher (2) & Goosander (1).
Also - Mallard, Teal, Wigeon, Goldeneye, Coot, Greylag, Herring Gull, Common Gull.

[Mark Caunt]

Date & Time: Tuesday 23rd February 2010 - 10:30am
Species: Waxwing
Details: x4 Waxwings seen very briefly down North Street, Forfar, opposite the junction of Service Road on Berry bushes beside Joiners hut.
They flew off over Service Road and in an Easterly direction. This has been a regular spot for Waxwings for a number of years and worth a look if you are ever passing at this time of year.

[Mickey Mellon]

23 Feb 2010 RM Condor east grid 626430 even with very cold weather Rooks very busy on the 2 rookeries adding to nests or re building. Jack Snipe still present at pond area no sign of Common. A very nice edition today was 2 Woodcock, this is the first ever record of this species on the camp. Found 1 Buzzard dead and think it is one of the breeding pairs, if this is the case am down to 4 breeding pairs but will wait until season starts and see what happens

[Ian Hay]

14+ Male Black Grouse at the lek yesterday morning, also singing male Crossbill on the top of a large pine with amusingly female a chaffinch looking up at it from the branch below.

Ian

[Bob McCurley]

Feb. 24th. 11-30am. GANNETS 4 ( 2 Ads. 2 Juvs. )
First of Year for Bob and Jon----- Also seen RED BREASTED MERGANSERS 2 LONGTAILED DUCK 4
COMMON SCOTER 12 EIDER 1 SANDERLING 8 OYSTERCATCHER 5 PLUS 4 GULL SPECIES -

FEB. 24th. 10-15am. CORN BUNTINGS 60 at Boghead Farm

[burnie]

Fulmars sitting on nest ledges at Auchmithie and showing signs of displaying,doubt they were sat on anything other than their bottoms just yet.
Several Gannets out to sea,plus Guilliemots and Razorbills sat on the sea,didn't have my telescope as was fishing,but possible either Auks or Puffins flying by well off shore just before the light went.

[Mark Caunt]

Date & Time: Friday 26th February 2010 - 1:30pm
Species: Waxwing
Details: x5 Waxwings seen again down North Street, Forfar, opposite the junction of Service Road on Berry bushes beside Joiners hut.
Also check the first tree in Service Road as they perch in this tree before and after flying down multiple times to feed on the North Street berry bushes.

[Bob McCurley]

Feb. 27th 1350pm. ICELAND GULL 1st. Winter AT CLATTO RESEVOIR N.O. 368346
Feb. 27th. 1350pm. LESSER BLACK BACKED GULLS 2 ( First this year )

AGV. message from Mark received and followed up produced a nice bird. -- Who found it ?)

[Bob McCurley]

Feb. 27th WAXWINGS 10 At Arbroath , reported to me by Ben Herschell at 4-40pm.

Ben saw them just off the main road , coming into Arbroath from Montrose , just past the Shell garage on Left , then past the cemetry , and then the Leasiure Centre . in that area feeding on Cotoneaster Tree.

[stonefaction]

Beaten to the post with the Iceland Gull, but twas me what found it, Bob.

Headed down to Camperdown Park afterwards and got a Jay feeding on the ground. Unfortunately we were blocking the road and had to move before I got a decent photo of it. Also a sizable flock of Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush and Redwing. Treecreeper also seen there.

Flock of 200 or so Knot at Barry Buddon and probably as many Bar Tailed Godwits. Kestrel and 2 Magpies also seen.

Then the third new bird for the year for us at Monifieth - a Lesser Black Backed Gull at the mouth of the burn (not sure how we failed to see them at Clatto - maybe distracted by the Iceland Gull).
All in all a pretty good day considering we were undecided where to go when we left the house.

[gus guthrie]

5 waxwings still feeding in North St. next to Pat Kilbanes joiners workshop opposite Service Road. 11.15 am.
Male Brambling in garden this morning, also Yellowhammer,Greenfinch,Siskin, 11 Goldfinch,Dunnock.
Barn Owl last night at 9pm between Logie crossroads and Auchendorie farm outside Kirriemuir , also Woodcock at Powmyre farm on same road.

[stevendoig]

5 Waxwing in park beside my garden again. Ivy Road/Tce (Whitehills, Forfar), sitting at the top of large conifer.

There for an hour and have only just flew off towards Lunanhead

[joncook]

3.00pm 1 Waxwing remaining on Cotoneaster opposite entrance to Saltire Leisure Centre, Montrose Road, Arbroath
See picture section
Jon

[gus guthrie]

Took my daughter out for a drive to Kingoldrum, Lintrathen area tonight to look for a Barn owl, no luck but did find 6 Tawny owls and a possible Short-eared owl ( larger and much paler underneath ) as well as a Fox.

[Neil Young]

x2 Magpies today in Glenisla. Nothing much else apart from a few Buzzards and lots of snow!! - couldn't get from Glenisla over Kilry Hill because
of drifting snow on the road - hoped to see some Black Grouse - maybe next week.

[stonefaction]

Peregrine hunting over Arbroath beach near the cliffs this morning, and a Red Throated Diver off Auchmithie a wee while later.

[Mickey Mellon]

02 Mar 2010 Condor West 616439 !st two Oystercatchers back to their nesting area, Condor East 626430. Rooks very busy building or repairing nests in the two Rookeries, 10 Skylarks up and singing over their nesting range, 1 Snipe still present at pond area, 10 Mallards making use of flooded areas by roosting over

[gus guthrie]

barn owl at Eassie crossroads tonight at 8.45. Second time i,ve seen one near here. Auchendorie junction on the Kirriemuir to Meigle road is another good place to see Barn Owls , seen one on three occasions on this stretch of road.

[stevendoig]

4 Waxwings this afternoon at usual Woollen Mill spot in Forfar.

Big raft of 50+ auks at Lunan Bay this morning, bit far out for my puny bins but think they were Razorbills, but I'm no expert!

[Mickey Mellon]

04 Mar 2020 grid 632 460 0654 first Songthrush singing in the trees. Dawn chorus now taking up early, 0500 Blackbirds and Robins singing at Arbroath Station. Letham Grange was just one constant chatter of birds and tapping of the Great Spotted Woodpeckers

[Bob McCurley]

March 4th. 12Noon HEN HARRIERS Male and Female seen in Montreathmont Forest , the hide area , seen by Rod Payne and his party from Aberdeen . Also REDPOLLS , GREEN AND GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKERS .

March 1st. 12noon PINTAIL Male at Loch of Kinnordy Reserve from Swamp Hide

[HarryB]

Unfortunately, there are road repairs exactly where Mark Caunt has been regularly seeing Waxwings in Forfar.
North Street is closed at Service Road and there is a really strong smell of gas around the area and I assume the road repairs are related to that.

[K Hall]

One Waxwing in Arbroath, opposite entrance road to leisure centre, as previously posted. Also 4 Waxwings in Forfar, North Street, but not feasible to stop owing to road works. One Lesser Black-backed Gull in gull roost at Forfar Loch, east end.