16 - MAY 2011 BIRD SIGHTINGS (ANGUS)

[Clive McKay]

Migrant type flew >NE over the house this evening at 18:00 - my first at Knowehead since moving here 4.5 years ago. Steady flapping flight, less relaxed than usual (and the lovely warm weather and SE wind!) had me thinking Black Kite for a short while, but not this time. Spotted by chance high up in the sky as I welcomed back my first Swallow of the year here. The kite carried on >ENE as far as I could follow it with 30x scope.
CRMcK

[joncook]

Highlights of today's "shopping trip" by the Dighty, my first 2 House Martins of the year, a Dipper and a White Wagtail.
Jon

[barry shaw]

had a wander up the auchterhouse area today to have a look for the resident ravens but none to be seen,I'm sure it has somthing to do with the huge windturbine that's going up there absolute scar on the landscape,did manage to see some red grouse though.

[Bob McCurley]

April 23rd. 10am SEDGE WARBLERS 2 Seen on Barry Buddon - Monifieth end . My earliest sighting

[kendale]

Hi On my return from holiday last weekend I discovered a blue tit nest building in our nest box which takes a small camera linked to the TV. I quickly installed the camera and have spent every day since watching the bird going about its preparations for laying etc. she visits the nest at intervals during the day but returns at 7pm each evening to settle for the night. So far she seems to have laid 4 eggs. It is proving to be a wonderful experience, better than watching TV!!!

[Alex Smith]

Quick walk up Glenmoy today Species observed as follows

Goldfinch , Chaffinch , Great Spotted Woodpecker , Wheatear , Snipe , Buzzard , Pied Wagtail , Red Grouse , Black Grouse , Curlew , Lapwing , Jay , Meadow Pipit, Oystercatcher , 3 Common Sandpiper, Swallow

Hoped to see more up top but unfortunately weather closed in - misty and wet

Dipper yesterday in Craigmill Den plus Whitethroat and Willow Warbler

[Grant Balfour]

23 April, 20:00
Male Whitethroat near Powmouth.
Also Swallows (6), Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Sand Martin.

[Clive McKay]

My first Cuckoo and House Martin today at Kilry, Glenisla

Clive

[Richard Maurins]

First Common Terns for the year at Lunan bay,also Stonechats calling in the Dunes.Reed Bunting in the burn,Swallow over the Corbie Knowe and a Brown Hare on the walk back.

[Grant Balfour]

24th April. 2100-2130.
Three Grasshopper Warblers on the walk back from the Shelduck hide to the car park.
1st - in the reedbed at the slunks, where the clearing for the bird ringing operations is. Heard & seen.
(Also five Sedge Warblers singing)
2nd - at the old railway embankment. Heard & seen.
3rd - at the narrow section of path near the car park. Only heard as it was getting a bit dark by this time.

The Montrose Basin ranger came along the track a bit later and heard four - report at:
http://blogs.swt.org.uk/montrosebasin/

25th April. 0800.
Heard a Grasshopper Warbler singing in the ditch at NO663587.

[joncook]

12 Sandwich Terns on rocks at West Haven lunchtime today.
Jon

[richardblackburn]

5 sandwich terns on a sandbank in Montrose Basin along with 5/6 smaller terns this morning. Unfortunately, couldn't tell which type the smaller ones were.

[Nicola Main]

Heard my first Cuckoo of the year up at the Carrot Hill viewpoint last night at sunset.

[jhodson1]

13/4 Green Sandpiper at a small pool near the A92 at Muirdrum - it flew off towards Craigmill Den/sea
22/4 Turtle Dove in small bushes on Carnoustie beach
23/4 2 whitethroat singing at Black wood, Muirdrum. 2 pair chiffchaffs breeding there
24/4 sedge warbler singing from bramble - Carnoustie wood, near football ground.
27/4 Carnoustie golf course (Barry Buddon end) - cuckoo
Also had a yellowhammer nest with 3 eggs. In 40 years nest recording, mainly in Yorkshire I have never seen a yellowhammer with eggs before May. Perhaps its all down to the good weather!!

Jim

[Mark Caunt]

Text from Stuart Green (Friday 29th April 2011)

Wood sand kinnordy gullery briefly fri 8am but flew off high to ne, srg

[DK]

Hundreds of Gannets moving up the coast past Arbroath cliffs today.

Noticed yesterday that two of the Shags nesting at the colonies close to the Gaylet Pot have red rings on their left legs and bright rings on their right legs.

[joncook]

Ringed birds can be reported through the BTO website, http://www.bto.org/
Click on the purple button "Report a ringed bird" bottom right and follow the links.
For colour ringed birds it is recommended to first try http://www.cr-birding.be/ as this allows the ringer to be contacted directly and a much quicker response. cr-birding can be a little hard to follow however, so if you cannot trace the ring there then use the BTO website.
Either way you will get a reply thanking you for your contribution and detailing the history of the bird.
If possible it often helps to photograph the bird. The photo can then be enlarged on the computer and the colour sequence or code letters read with ease. I sometimes only find a bird is ringed after looking at a photograph.
Jon

[Bob McCurley]

April 30th 10-30am. GARDEN WARBLER 1 At Powmouth Viaduct NO 676573

April 30th 12-oo SANDWICH TERN 2 COMMON TERN 1 Seen from Redcastle Hide Lunan Bay

The Hide has been moved backwards to its new location , and affords even better views for Sea Watching .