24a - JANUARY to DECEMBER 2017 BIRD SIGHTINGS (NON ANGUS)

[Mark Caunt]

Out of Angus Bird Sightings for JANUARY to DECEMBER 2017

[Mark Caunt]

Date & Time: Monday 2nd January 2016 - 1pm
Species: Shore Lark
Details: Went along to see the 2x Shorelark near the lagoon on the coast by Tentsmuir Forest, Fife.
Very Confiding birds.
If you head to Kinshaldy CP (£2.00 barrier) then walk straight out to beach, turn left and walk towards Tentsmuir Point NNR keeping the forest on your left. After a while you'll see a Lagoon between sea-side dunes and forest (before the beach fence), the Shore Larks favour the small brackish salt marsh BEFORE you get to the Lagoon. More of a muddy area. If you get to the Lagoon you've gone too far!

[Mark Caunt]

AGV:
Friday 6th January:
Perthshire: 40+ waxwings in trees at Longforgan at Castle Huntly turn off this morning.
Ian Laird

[Mark Caunt]

AGV:
Sunday 29th January:
Not Angus but drake Smew on Loch of Lowes viewable from hides.
I Laird

[Jean Cobb]

1 little egret today at Morton Lochs at c.1.00pm

[Mark Caunt]

AGV:
Friday 10th February:
60x waxwings on Blairgowrie road, Coupar Angus.
Doug Milne

[joncook]

Hawfinch - Scone Palace - 17th January 2017

3 Hawfinches briefly high in trees at the graveyard at Scone Palace 1pm Friday 17th Jan. Pity they never showed for the outing last Sunday.

Jon

[Alex Shepherd]

A drake American Wigeon showing well in the southwest corner of the western of the two lochs at Birnie and Gaddon Lochs near Collessie, not too far from Dundee and worth a visit.

Photos on my blog here, http://aberbrothock.blogspot.co.uk/

.

[Alex Shepherd]

St Cyrus today, Raven pair, Peregrine pair, two pairs of Stonechats, four pairs of Buzzards and a female Kestrel, all north from the car park.

Fowlsheugh, at least 5,000 auks a mixture of Guillemots and Razorbills, 800 Kittiwakes in rafts, a few Shags and Fulmars.

Good and prolonged view of a Roe Deer from the car park and a fox coloured cat in the gorse that had me thinking it was a fox till it strolled into the open!

Photos on my blog (not the cat)

[Mark Caunt]

AGV:
Tuesday 28th March:
60 Waxwings, Queens avenue, Blairgowrie.
Doug Milne

[Mark Caunt]

AGV:
Wednesday 29th March:
At least 4 little gulls at Monikie Island Pond. 9am.
GMS/ GR

[joncook]

Blackcap singing in the gardens at Glendoick, also 4+ Chiffchaffs.
Jon

[Ian Laird]

Lesser Whitethroat at Stormont Loch near Blairgowrie 0700 03/05/17. In bushes to left of gap with the big stones halfway along Loch

[Alex Shepherd]

On a trip to the Ythan Estuary on 3/7/2017 to see Little Terns, with patience I eventually saw six but only managed photos of the ones on the far bank. One which dived into the water at my feet was too close for the lens and converter.

Murcar/Blackdog on the way back, again an extended search found the newly arrived American White-winged Scoter which was first seen last season, the "Ythan" King Eider drake and as I was leaving the Surf Scoter flew in. I had accessed the beach/dunes through Murcar Golf Course, parking in their overflow car park and walking north past the green-keepers buildings and once on the edge of the dunes I walked north till I could see Blackdog Rock. The Scoters along with perhaps 1,000 Common and a few Velvet were a bit out and needed a careful search but the King Eider was sitting on the beach south of the burn. Worth a trip and the beach might be quiet midweek, a jogger flushed the King Eider twice. Google map link and marked up image below.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Mur ... 8532?hl=en

Image1.jpg

[gus guthrie]

St Cyrus beach

6pm onwards.

at least 8 Arctic Skua, 1 Pomarine skua and several Bonxies harrassing the huge numbers of Gulls and Terns currently feeding there... as well as a Humpback Whale

[Alex Shepherd]

One adult Great Northern Diver in summer plumage off the beach north of the centre at 1410 , today 24/8/2017.

Humpback Whale breached about 4 miles offshore at 1400 then never seen again.

[Mark Caunt]

Other Text received by AGV today:

Not Angus but blue phase snow goose (prob bit of a hybrid) and 2 bar headed geese with 500+ canadas on Stormont Loch.
Ian Laird

[Alex Shepherd]

Still a juvenile Red-backed Shrike near or in the allotments on Greyhope Road at start of road to Torry Battery. Seen at a grass dump on the golf course, accessed from Wood Street entrance and 50 metres in on the left.

[Mark Caunt]

AGV:
Sunday 24th September:
Not Angus but I know there are members in Fife. Yellow Browed Warbler on Balgove Golf Course in small group of birch trees to right of shelter near 17 tee.
I Laird and K Grant