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Scotland Angus   

 







Buzzard Buteo buteo © Mark Caunt http://www.MarkCauntPhotography.com

The County of Angus is bounded by a ring of hills on the inland side, with the river North Esk in the north and nearly to the river Tay in the South, with the North Sea on the east and the eastern peaks of the Grampian Hills in the west. This gives a good range of habitats from rocky coast through farmland with small woodlands up to the glens. The whole area is laced with rivers and streams.

The Angus glens are oriented roughly NW to SE and the main ones are (from the northernmost) Glen Esk (river North Esk); Glen Lethnot (West Water and Water of Saughs); Glen Clova (South Esk); Glen Prosen (Prosen Water); and Glen Isla (Isla). There are a further fifteen smaller glens leading off the main ones. The main glens rise from 100m to 939m (Mount Keen). The land from the 100m line to the coast is intensively farmed (mainly arable) but areas of woodland break up the scenery.

This means a wide range of habitats and hence a good range of birds.

Below are some of the places to go birdwatching in Angus, starting with the main reserves:

  top sites

 

Auchmithie

(NO683443) 3 miles north of Arbroath, Cliffs good for puffins in summer.

Balgavies Loch

(NO535508) (SWT) 5 miles east of Forfar on the A932. Public viewing point with room for 5 cars and a hide with car park at the west end available to key holders (Keys from Montrose Basin Ranger).

Barry Buddon

(NO545320) Near Carnoustie on A930

Broughty Ferry Beach

(NO455310) Typical beach birds

Caenlochan National Nature Reserve

(NO210780) Large mountainous plateau with arctic plants and sub-arctic birds. Access from Glen Clova and Glen Isla.

Crombie Country Park

(NO528404) 6 miles north of Monifieth on B961. A man-made reservoir with surrounding woodlands.

Fishtown of Usan

(NO726546) Coastal Site

Forfar Loch

(NO440505) Car park at Leisure Centre. Path round loch with public hide at west end.

Kinnaber Links

(NO738620) Coastal Site

Loch Lee

(NO430802) 16 miles north west of Edzell. Natural loch set in dramatic mountain setting 20-minute walk from car park in Glen Esk.

Loch of Kinnordy

(NO360540) (RSPB) 1 mile west of Kirriemuir on B951 Open daily in Spring and Summer and at weekends for the rest of year. Three hides (one accessible to wheelchairs) viewing the loch. There is a large black-headed gull breeding colony. Black necked grebe and ruddy duck. Osprey during summer and pink-footed and greylag geese during autumn/winter.

Loch of Lintrathen

(NO280550) (SWT) 8 miles west of Kirriemuir on B951. A SSSI and Ramsar site. Access restricted to key holders (which opens both the car park and hide) as the loch is a public water supply (Keys from Montrose Basin Ranger). There are several parking places on surrounding public roads with good views of the loch. Pink-footed and greylag geese during autumn/winter.

Lunan Bay

(NO690510) Near Montrose

Monifieth Beach

(NO495321)

Monikie Country Park

(NO505380) 4 miles north of Monifieth on B961. A man-made reservoir with surrounding woodlands.

Montreathmont Forest

(NO580540) (Forestry Commission) 4 miles south of Brechin on A933. Open access from rides on foot only. Mostly conifer plantation with some deciduous trees, open moor and ponds.

Montrose Basin

(NO565575) The Montrose Basin Local Nature Reserve covers 1024ha in all. The majority of the reserve lies below the high water mark of ordinary spring tides but, particularly at the western end, there are slightly more elevated areas with zones of salt marsh, reed bed, brackish and fresh water, unimproved grassland and arable land. It contains SSSI's and is a Ramsar site and a Special Protection Area, so is well protected from development. The site is managed by the The Scottish Wildlife Trust. See http://www.montrosebasin.org.uk for more details.

Seaton Cliffs

(NO665414) Arbroath (SWT)

  contributor

 

Andy Wakelin
(Montrose, Scotland)
andy.wakelin@which.net
http://homepages.which.net/~andy.wakelin

  county recorder

 

Jon Cook
76 Torridon Road, Broughty Ferry, Dundee DD5 3JH
01382 738495
1301midget@tiscali.co.uk

  numbers

 
Number of bird species: 305
County Bird - Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos

  useful reading

 

Angus & Dundee Bird Report

Copies of the Report are available directly from Brian J. Cartwright, The Woodlands, School Road, Luthermuir, Laurencekirk, Kincardineshire, AB30 1YX. Telephone: (01674) 840220 or E-mail: bj-cartwright@beeb.net Price is ?6.50 including postage and packing. Cheques should be made payable to "Scottish Ornithologists Club".

Where to Watch Birds in Scotland

Mike Madders and Julia Welstead - 297 pages, b/w illus, maps - Christopher Helm
ISBN: 071365693X
Buy this book from NHBS.com

  clubs

 

Angus & Dundee Bird Club

http://www.Angusbirding.com
Angus and Dundee Bird Club was founded in 1997 and we now have almost 200 members; we have an active Birders Grapevine for our members, a Sea Watching Hide at Lunan bay Angus, Field outings programme and Indoor meetings programme.

Scottish Wildlife - Angus & Dundee Members Centre

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/adbswt/
The purpose of these pages is to keep our members informed of what is happening in the Members Centre and at the same time to tell everyone about wildlife in our part of Scotland...

  reserves

 

Loch of Lintrathen

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/adbswt/lintrathen.htm
From late autumn onwards birds flock to the reserve in their thousands - especially greylag geese returning from their summer breeding grounds in Iceland. The geese leave the loch during the daytime to forage over stubble and potato fields and, later in the winter, to graze over grassland. As they return in the late afternoon to their safe roost on the reserve, the noisy skeins of birds filling the sky make an impressive sight and sound...

Montrose Basin Wildlife Centre

http://www.montrosebasin.org.uk/
Montrose Basin is the 750 hectare enclosed estuary of the South Esk river. Virtuallu untouched by industrial development and pollution, the Basin provides a rich feeding ground for thousands of resident and migrant birds.

RSPB Reserve - Loch of Kinnordy

http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/l/lochofkinnordy/index.asp
On the reserve wildfowl, wading birds and ospreys visit regularly in the spring and summer, when black-necked grebes may also occur. In winter, the reserve is full is wildfowl...

  trip reports

 

Travelling Birder
http://www.travellingbirder.com
The Travellingbirder.com birding trip report search engine guides you to 7,000+ birding trip reports on the Internet. You can search for trip reports from a specific country and time of year. Not all these reports are in English. So, if you can’t find the trip report you want on this Fatbirder page… give them a try!

  tour operators

 

Birding Pal

http://www.birdingpal.org/Unitedkingdom.htm
Local birders willing to show visiting birders around their area...

  places to stay

 

Arndean B&B

http://www.a1tourism.com/uk/arndean.html
There is a range of countryside; rivers, forestry, lochs, the gentle Sidlaw Hills or the more mountainous area of the Grampians and Angus Glens with a chance to bag Munros. We hold a collection of local ordnance survey maps and can advise you on suitable walking routes or act as guides for you.

Finavon Farmhouse

http://www.bedandbreakfasts-uk.co.uk/northscotlandframe.htm
Located towards the northern end of the Strathmore Valley five miles north of Forfar and easily accessible from the A90 Dundee/Aberdeen trunk road, Finavon Farmhouse is ideally situated to explore Angus and surrounding counties.

The Haven B&B - Montrose

http://www.thehaven-montrose.co.uk/
Some of Europe's finest and unspoilt coastline awaits you on the North east Coastal Trail, and, starting at St. Cyrus, Montrose is close enough to embark on your adventure through rich heritage, breath-taking views and many harbour pubs!

  mailing lists

 

Angus Birding Grapevine

http://www.markcauntphotography.com/phpBB3/
List contact:MarkCaunt@hotmail.com
The aim of the forum is to provide current information (and be a referral for past records) of Birds, Mammals and Cetaceans in the Angus and Eastern Scotland area. This is done via a forum open to public, where sightings can be posted and viewed freely. Sightings are obviously not guaranteed but filtered as best as possible and news regarding sensitive species may be edited if need be...

  other links

 

Angus Birding

http://www.angusbirding.com
The aim of this web site is to provide the Electronic Birding Community with information at there finger tips of what birds are currently about, primarily in the area of Angus and the Eastern Side of Scotland (Aberdeenshire, Highland & Fife). If there is something of interest fairly nearby, then that will get put on too!

Places to watch birds in Angus

http://homepages.which.net/~andy.wakelin/angusbd.htm
Here are some of the places to go birdwatching in Angus. A mix of reserves and countryside ranging from cliffs and sea-watching to woodland to mountains.

Tayside Biodiversity Action Plan

http://www.ukbap.org.uk/lbap.aspx?ID=486
Conservation plans and partners...

  artists

 

Photographer - Mark Caunt

http://www.MarkCauntPhotography.com
Superb photos - the Latin American ones are particularly stunning!

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