TAYSIDE
TOADSTOOLS & BIRDS
My voice / Becomes the wind / Mushroom-hunting . . . . . . . . . 19th century haiku by Japanese poet MASAOKA SHIKI [1867-1902]
TAYSIDE AND ANGUS BUTTERFLIES, MOTHS, FUNGI AND BIRDS
STARTED WEBSITE 2014 to record fungi foraging in DUNDEE, SCOTLAND, then in 2019 moved house to BRECHIN where continued foraging but on April 29,2020 expanded into amateur BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY but include anything else that takes my interest such as charity events, butterflies, etc
If area not mentioned in fungi photo it will be Dundee area, other fungi are from Brechin area
To put my slant on the old argument of what is a Mushroom or a Toadstool - I use both terms to describe any form which looks similar to Agarics or Boletes but use Fungi to describe the forms found in Ascomycota, Basidiomycota and Brackets. There is also no reason to use Toadstool specifically to describe poisonous forms, considering that unless you are very well informed it would be difficult to know which are poisonous in the first place. Which brings us neatly into the one thing that must be adhered to - UNLESS YOU ARE CERTAIN OF THE MUSHROOM YOU ARE PICKING - DO NOT EAT IT.
[BIRDS] AND [FUNGI] NOW HAVE DROP-DOWN MENUS [courtesy of son] from August 2, 2020.
HOVER OVER DESIRED SECTION TO VIEW ANY MENUS PRESENT
CAMERA : PANASONIC LUMIX DMC - LX7 for fungi : NIKON COOLPIX P1000 for birds
BOOKS : MUSHROOMS by Roger Phillips [Macmillan] and FUNGI OF BRITAIN AND EUROPE by Michael Jordan [David and Charles]
email : TAYSIDETOADSTOOLS@OUTLOOK.COM
SHORT EARED OWL [Asio flammeus]
Bird I saw at Wigeon Hide [Lurgies end], September 16, 2021. Not recorded
and Balgavies Loch on January 14, 2024.
This is a stock photo
LESSER YELLOW LEGS [Tringa flavipes]
Seen at Lurgies on September 1, 2023, after I met a group of twitchers who had arrived after being notified on their bird app - my appearance was by chance. This is stock photo
Saw it through tripod binocular of one of the group but too far for photo. A rare find in Scotland indeed. Not recorded
WEATHER OF 2025
Temperature is the high for the day.
Mauve denotes bird walk
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20
Heavy snow showers. 11mph wind. 4C
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21
Icy. 13mph wind. 3C
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22
Frost and sun. 8mph wind. 5C
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23
Heavy rain. 13mph wind. 6C
MONDAY, NOVEMER 24
Light rain. 15mph wind. 6C
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25
Frost and sun. 6mph wind. 5C
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26
Icy and rain. 10mph wind. 6C
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27
Rain. 20mph wind. 13C
EUROPEAN OTTER
[Lutra lutra]
Top left at River Esk bank, Brechin, May 6, 2020
Close-ups from
February 9, 2025, not that good but what a memory.
Three otters ran around corner of path I was on and literally ran between my feet. Happened so fast those two photos were the best I could muster.
Brilliant moment.
BIRD INDEX PHOTOGRAPHS
LURGIES ~
CANADA GOOSE
EGRET [GREAT]
EGRET [LITTLE]
LAPWING
LONG-TAILED DUCK
RUDDY SHELDUCK
SWAN [MUTE]
SWAN [WHOOPER]
SWAN [BLACK]
RIVER ESK ~
BLACKBIRD
HERON [GREY]
HOUSE MARTIN
PHEASANT
PIGEON [WOOD]
SANDPIPER
SONGTHRUSH
SPARROW [HOUSE]
TIT [LONG-TAILED]
WAGTAIL [GREY]
WAGTAIL [PIED]
WAGTAIL [WHITE]
WHITE-THROATED DIPPER
TAYOCK ~
CARRION CROW
CURLEW
CURLEW SANDPIPER
GREEN WARBLER
MALLARD
PINTAIL
REDSHANK
TIT [LONG-TAILED]
WREN
LURGIES MUDBANK ~
DUNLIN
EIDER
GODWIT [BLACK-TAILED]
KINGFISHER
MERGANSER [GOOSANDER]
MERGANSER [RED-BREASTED]
PLOVER [RINGED]
RUFF
SHELDUCK
TEAL
WIGEON FIELD ~
BUZZARD
GOLDFINCH
MEADOW PIPIT
PHEASANT
SEDGE WARBLER
STONECHAT
SKYLARK
TWITE
WHINCHAT
WHITETHROAT
SEED STATION ~
BLUETIT
GOLDFINCH
GREENFINCH
PHEASANT
SISKIN
SPARROW [TREE]
STARLING
YELLOWHAMMER [Male/Female]
Do not mention blackbirds or carrion crow as seen virtually every walk
ROSSIE SPIT / MURTON ~
COLLARED DOVE
GOLDCREST
OYSTER CATCHER
SAND MARTIN
TERN
BALGAVIES LOCH ~
BLACKCAP
BULLFINCH
COOT
DUNNOCK
GOLDENEYE
GREYLAG GOOSE
GULL [BLACK-HEADED]
HOOPOE
OSPREY
REED BUNTING
SWALLOW
TIT [BLUE]
TIT [COAL]
TIT [GREAT]
TREE CREEPER
TUFTED DUCK
WOODPECKER [GREAT-SPOTTED]
WIGEON COASTAL ~
GODWIT [BAR-TAILED]
GREENSHANK
KNOT
PINK-FOOTED GOOSE
PINTAIL
PLOVER [GREY]
SHOVELLER
WIGEON
WHIMBREL
WHOOPER SWAN
FORFAR LOCH ~
BLACK-BACKED GULL [GREAT]
BLACK-BACKED GULL [LESSER]
BLACKCAP
CORMORANT
GADWALL
GREBE [GREAT-CRESTED]
GREBE [LITTLE]
GREY PARTRIDGE
MAGPIE
REDWING
SPARROW [TREE]
AUCHMITHIE ~
DOVE [COLLARED]
FULMAR
GUILLEMOT / MURRE
HERRING GULL [CHICK]
KESTREL
KITTIWAKE
MEADOW PIPIT
PIGEON [ROCK / FERAL]
RAZORBILL
SHAG
SPARROW [COMMON HOUSE]
LURGIES HEDGEROW ~
CHAFFINCH
CHIFF-CHAFF
FIELDFARE
GREENFINCH
JACKDAW
LINNET
MOORHEN
ROBIN
ROOK
STARLING
YELLOWHAMMER
ABERLEMNO KIRK NEAR BRECHIN, July 16, 2019
PICTISH CROSS
One side shows a carved cross
Photo above is other side which may depict
Battle of Nechtansmere, dating 695AD.
[Brechin / Dundee] for other side of stone
Penguin for Maggie's Dundee cancer charity
called 'R2Dundee2' linking to 'Star Wars' films.
June 29-September 24, 2018.
[Brechin / Dundee] for more statues
In March 2018 we had snow storms dubbed
'The Beast from the East'. Badger carving at
Kinnoull Hill, Perth, was taken around then.
[Brechin / Dundee] for more carvings
BIRD WALKS OF 2025
OCTOBER 29, LURGIES : Back to Lurgies as wanted to see if changes in birds seen even though only a few days between. Glad I did as saw a NEW BIRD : LONG-TAILED DUCK. Also saw little egret, redshank, little grebe [group of 10, a new record], curlew, mute swan, various gulls, lapwing, mallard, wigeon, black-tailed godwit [same place as on October 26 walk]. PHOTO OF LONG-TAILED DUCK [Birds / Lurgies]. Happy with number of new birds this year, unexpected due to visiting same places over years
NOVEMBER 2, LURGIES : Same spot again to see if new find long-tailed duck was still around - it was. Grey and cold and tide a bit too high as covered mudbanks and the light deteriorated quickly so not really a photo day either. Viewed mute swan, little egret, little grebe, long-tailed duck [female], lapwing [probably slightly over 50 but a guess - only seen that number once before], redshank, wigeon, herring, black-headed and great black-backed gulls, yellowhammer [group of six among trees]
NOVEMBER 6, TAYOCK : Wet, misty day cleared into hazy sun. Found chiff-chaff, bullfinch, goldfinch, greenfinch, blackbird, crow, magpie; teal, wigeon, redshank, mallard, shelduck, pintail [good numbers for each of the water birds]
NOVEMBER 8, WIGEON : A brief two-hour window from fog to just mist saw me here to view 20 mute swans feeding in the fields, yellowhammer, reed bunting, robin, fieldfare [first of my season], pheasant, mallard, teal, little egret, goldeneye duck, black-headed gull and on return saw hundreds of pink-footed geese flying back to the Bay to roost
NOVEMBER 10, BALGAVIES LOCH : Rain cleared so here to view cormorant roost in trees, coot, moorhen, goldeneye, tufted duck, gadwall, mallard, greylag geese [100+]; coaltit, bluetit, fieldfare, great tit, chaffinch. First sighting of great-crested grebe in winter plumage. GREAT-CRESTED GREBE [Birds / Forfar Loch - keep together]
NOVEMBER 22, BALGAVIES LOCH : Only the usual suspects on a sunny, frosty day. Mute swan, cormorant, goldeneye and tufted ducks, coot, moorhen, greylag geese [150+]; great tit, coaltit, bluetit [decent number of each at seed station]
NOVEMBER 25, LURGIES : Frosty, sunny day and should have stayed home with a cup of tea as not much around. Only robin, yellowhammer, little grebe, teal, mallard, black-headed gull, redshank, black-tailed godwit
NEW PHOTOS 2025
JANUARY 16 : GREAT-SPOTTED WOODPECKER; [Birds / Balgavies Loch]
JANUARY 30 : RED-BREASTED MERGANSER [male] [Birds / Lurgies Mudbank]
FEBRUARY 9 : OTTERS [top of this page]
FEBRUARY 13 : DUNNOCK [Birds / Forfar Loch]
APRIL 17 : MEADOW PIPIT [Birds / Auchmithie]
APRIL 23 : BULLFINCH [female] [Birds / Balgavies Loch]
MAY 1 : SHAG; RAZORBILL; COMMON HOUSE SPARROW; GUILLEMOT
[Birds / Auchmithie]
MAY 8 : COLLARED DOVE [Birds / Auchmithie]
MAY 9 : RED-BREASTED MERGANSER FEMALE [Birds / Lurgies Mudbank]
MAY 22 : KITTIWAKE [Birds / Auchmithie]
JUNE 5 : GADWALL [female] [Birds / Forfar Loch]
YELLOWHAMMER [female] [Birds / Seed Station]
JUNE 8 : BLACK SWAN [Birds / Lurgies]
JUNE 9 : LINNET [male] [Birds / Lurgies Hedgerow]
JUNE 12 : KESTREL HAWK and FULMAR [Birds / Auchmithie]
JUNE 20 : COOT and OSPREY [Balgavies Loch]
JULY 3 : BLACK-HEADED GULL [Balgavies Loch] and
SILVER-GROUND CARPET MOTH [Butterflies / Moths]
JULY 5 : ROCK PIGEON, HERRING GULL YOUNG [Birds / Auchmithie]
GRAYLING BUTTERFLY [Butterflies / Moths]
AUGUST 7 : OSPREY 'TROLLEY' NEST [Birds / Balgavies Osprey]
AUGUST 10 : KITTIWAKE JUVENILE [Birds / Auchmithie], GRASSHOPPER [Butterflies / Moths]
AUGUST 14 : SPECKLED WOOD BUTTERFLY [Butterflies / Moths]
AUGUST 31 : RUFF [Birds / Lurgies Mudbank]
SEPTEMBER 4: BLACK SWAN [Birds / Lurgies]
SEPTEMBER 6 : REED BUNTING [Birds / Balgavies Loch]
SEPTEMBER 19: TREE SPARROW [Birds / Forfar Loch]
SEPTEMBER 28: GREENSHANK [Birds / Lurgies Mudbank]
OCTOBER 18 : CHAFFINCH GROUP [Birds / Lurgies Hedgerow], REED BUNTING
[Birds / Balgavies Loch - to keep together]
OCTOBER 29 : LONG TAILED DUCK [female] [Birds / Lurgies]
NOVEMBER 10 : GREAT-CRESTED GREBE [winter plumage] [Birds/Balgavies Loch]
NEW FINDS IN 2025
JANUARY 30 : RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, male [Birds / Lurgies Mudbank]
MAY 1 : SHAG [Birds / Auchmithie], RAZORBILL [Birds / Auchmithie]
MAY 9 : RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, female [Birds / Lurgies Mudbank]
MAY 22 : KITTIWAKE ADULT [Birds / Auchmithie]
JUNE 8 : BLACK SWAN [Birds / Lurgies]
JUNE 12 : KESTREL HAWK and FULMAR [Birds / Auchmithie]
JULY 5 : GRAYLING BUTTERFLY [Butterflies / Moths]
AUGUST 10 : KITTIWAKE JUVENILE [Birds / Auchmithie]
OCTOBER 29 : LONG-TAILED DUCK, female [Birds / Lurgies]