Monthly Prospects

The following gives the predicted Prospects for each month on the Reserve. More detailed bird occurrences for each month is on the Bird Status page.

Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun - Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec

Prospects for January

Now is the time to see large flocks of Pintail on the Reserve. Up to 150 of these very elegant ducks can be seen at a time. The Reserve is one of the best place in Angus to see them.

Whooper swan numbers also rise to a modest 10-15 as they seek food and protection in the colder, harsher weather that bites this part of Scotland at the turn of the year.

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Prospects for February

Another month for wader watching with Dunlin, Knot, Golden plover, Redshank, Curlew, Black-tailed and Bar-tailed godwit, Turnstone, Oystercatcher, and Lapwing all in evidence.

Less usual birds seen in past February's have been Iceland gull, Razorbill and Guillemot. Red-throated diver sometime put in an appearance as well.

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Prospects for March

All the regular waders and ducks are visible from the Wildlife Centre during March and the chance of a last look at sizeable flocks of pink-footed geese before they head back to Iceland and Greenland should not be missed.

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Prospects for April

The new arrivals are eagerly awaited with Sand martins always the first to get here. The others expected include Wheatear, Sandwich Tern, Sedge Warbler, Swallow, and Willow Warbler.

There is always the chance of other birds dropping in. In previous years these have included Whimbrel, Egyptian Goose, and Icelandic Gull.

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Prospects for May

The Arctic and Common terns put in an appearance now with house martins following the swallows in from Africa with swifts no far behind. An osprey might come to fish but is more regular later in the summer.

Whitethroat and sedge warbler are expected in the trees in front of the Wildlife Centre to perform for the human visitors.

Spoonbill and spotted redshank have turned up in years past so worth looking out for - especially from Old Montrose Pier. A hobby at Maryton in 1999 attracted attention but only a few saw it.

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Prospects for June

A quiet month usually with no new arrivals except for young shelduck, eider and mergansers.

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Prospects for July

Large flocks of Goosander build up during the month as moulting takes place in the safe haven of the Reserve. The Mute swans are keen to use the Reserve to moult as well and numbers swell to 300+ as birds fly in from the surrounding areas to feast on the eel-grass undisturbed.

Popular birds such as Osprey and Kingfisher put in more regular appearances and are generally easily seen from the Wildlife Centre.

Spotted Redshank, Wood Sandpiper, Mediterranean gull, Temminck’s Stint and Whimbrel have chosen this month to whet the appetite of the birders awaiting the autumn migration. This means that 50-60 species can be logged for the month without too much effort.

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Prospects for August

The regular appearance of Osprey and Kingfisher are a delight for all the summer visitors to the Centre as they perform within easy sight of the viewing gallery.

Other species are less regular but careful watchers at the West end of the Reserve can find Spotted Redshank, Curlew Sandpiper and Marsh Harrier. Greenshank can also be found in some numbers.

Summer visitors are putting in their last appearance before heading for warmer southern climes for the winter. Swifts are the first to leave, while Whitethroat and Willow warbler dance about in the trees until the end of the month. The last singing Sedge warblers balance on the waving grasses and reeds in front of the Centre.

Dunlin number can rise quite quickly as they return from the breeding sites. More lapwing and redshank cut their dashing way over the Reserve as their breeding grounds empty.

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Prospects for September

The migrants start their return journeys and number of lapwing, redshank and curlew rise to the thousand mark each. Most noticeable, of course, are the skeins of Pink-footed geese noisily descending onto the Reserve to roost. They will arrive progressively during September and October to peak at anything up to 40,000 birds by the beginning of November.The Wigeon and Teal are also flocking in to join the several thousand Eider.

Much less obvious is the flocks of Golden plover which are suddenly seen snoozing on the mudbanks. The mud appears empty until a wing flick or quick preen catches the eye and you realise the perfect camouflage pattern hides hundreds of the dapper plover. The golden blanket rises when the peregrine passes by looking for a meal and joins the first few hundred in-coming Knot in a scattering, jinking flight to put off the predator

A variety of Africa-bound passerines can show up for an hour or two. So look out for redstart, wheatear and whinchat

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Prospects for October

The bulk of the Pinkfooted geese will arrive this month and the peak numbers will be towards the end of the month. How many will that be? Anything from 20,000 to 40,000 depending on weather, food availability and many other factors we don't know about. As there is only a small population (6,000-7,000) resident on the Reserve through the winter the majority of geese are just passing through to their wintering grounds on and around the Wash and North west England. The total population of pinkfeet in the UK is about 260,000 birds.

Barnacle geese often arrive with the pinkfeet and stay for a while before heading for their correct wintering grounds on the west coast of Britain. Greylag geese also appear in numbers but are probably a mix of migrants and residents.

The numbers of Golden plover, dunlin and knot will reach the thousand mark while wigeon and oystercatcher will top 3,000. Eider (2,000+) and redshank (1,500+) will swell the numbers. The amazing displays of thousands of birds on the wing and the wall of sound that typifies an estuary are not to be missed at this, the best time of year for birding on the Reserve.

The kingfisher is likely to be a regular at the pools in front of the Wildlife Centre and a few Whooper swans will swell the mute swan flock. Pintail are another Reserve speciality and up to 1,000 shelduck will be found feeding on hydrobia snails in the north-east corner of the Reserve.

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Prospects for November

The peak counts of Pinkfooted geese should be in the first weeks of November.

The Reserve is a good place to see pintail and up to 50 at a time may be spotted at a time. Whooper swans can be found in with the mutes usually and these are best seen from Old Montrose and the Wigeon hide.

Very weather dependent are the irruptions of Waxwing that precipitate these very smart birds from their Scandinavian homes to scavenge the berries from the trees around the Reserve. It all depends on the berry supply on the other side of the North Sea.

The Dunlin, Lapwing, Knot and Golden plover will all continue to delight watchers with their mass flock antics whether avoiding the attack of a pergrine or just flying to new roosts.

A few hours watching from the Viewing Gallery at the Wildlife Centre will produce 40-50 species at this time of year providing the tide is not full in.

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Prospects for December

The wader and duck bonanza should continue to amaze with big flocks decorating the landscape of the Reserve. Good sights of both bar-tailed and black-tailed godwits provide the opportunity to practice distinguishing between the two species. The black-tails with longer legs, "knees" in the middle of the leg and a uniform grey back; the bar-tails with shorter legs, "knees" almost hidden in the belly plumage and well patterned back.

In a tough winter, Waxwing will irrupt from Scandinavia to find berries and they can be found all round the Eastern fringes of the Reserve.

Distant views of tufted duck and scaup always provide a challenge in identification and their favourite haunts are near the north shore of the Reserve - about a mile from the Wildlife Centre viewing gallery!

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