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 pages 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] UPDATED 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
and Balgavies Loch on January 14, 2024.
Never succeeded with a photo yet
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.
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, MAY 15
Sun. 14mph wind. 18C
FRIDAY, MAY 16
Sun. 10mph wind. 19C
SATURDAY, MAY 17
Sun. 10mph wind. 20C
SUNDAY, MAY 18
Sun. 15mph wind. 17C
MONDAY, MAY 19
Hazy sun. 14mph wind. 16C
TUESDAY, MAY 20
Sun. 3mph wind. 19C
WEDNESDAY, MAY 21
Sun. 10mph wind. 18C
THURSDAY, MAY 22
Sunny spells. 11mph wind. 14C
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
ROSSIE SPIT / MURTON ~
COLLARED DOVE
GOLDCREST
OYSTER CATCHER
SAND MARTIN
TERN
RIVER ESK ~
BLACKBIRD
GREY HERON
HOUSE MARTIN
PHEASANT
SANDPIPER
SONGTHRUSH
SPARROW [HOUSE]
TIT [LONG-TAILED]
WAGTAIL [GREY]
WAGTAIL [PIED]
WAGTAIL [WHITE]
WHITE-THROATED DIPPER
WOOD PIGEON
TAYOCK ~
CARRION CROW
CURLEW
CURLEW SANDPIPER
FERAL PIGEON
GREEN WARBLER
MALLARD
PINTAIL
REDSHANK
TIT [LONG-TAILED]
WREN
SEED STATION ~
BLUETIT
GOLDFINCH
GREENFINCH
PHEASANT
SISKIN
SPARROW [TREE]
STARLING
YELLOWHAMMER
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
BALGAVIES LOCH ~
BLACKCAP
BULLFINCH
COOT
DUNNOCK
GOLDENEYE
GREYLAG GOOSE
HOOPOE
OSPREY
REED BUNTING
SWALLOW
TIT [BLUE]
TIT [COAL]
TIT [GREAT]
TREE CREEPER
TUFTED DUCK
WOODPECKER [GREAT-SPOTTED]
WIGEON FIELD ~
BUZZARD
GOLDFINCH
MEADOW PIPIT
PHEASANT
SEDGE WARBLER
STONECHAT
SKYLARK
TWITE
WHINCHAT
WHITETHROAT
AUCHMITHIE ~
DOVE [COLLARED]
GUILLEMOT / MURRE
KITTIWAKE
MEADOW PIPIT
RAZORBILL
SHAG
SPARROW [COMMON HOUSE]
LURGIES MUDBANK ~
CANADA GOOSE
DUNLIN
EGRET [GREAT]
EGRET [LITTLE]
EIDER
GODWIT [BLACK-TAILED]
KINGFISHER
LAPWING
MERGANSER [GOOSANDER]
MERGANSER [RED-BREASTED]
PLOVER [RINGED]
RUDDY SHELDUCK
RUFF
SHELDUCK
SWAN [MUTE]
SWAN [WHOOPER]
TEAL
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
LURGIES,
MAY 9, 2025,
ON A HOT, SUNNY DAY WITH THE YELLOW GORSE ON LEFT.
THIS SHOT IS AROUND THE HIGH TIDE MARK
MAY 5, TAYOCK : Low tide and saw oyster catcher, mallard, little egret, great tit, starling, various white butterflies and orange-tip butterfly
MAY 8, AUCHMITHIE : Beautiful, sunny day, high tide - conditions I wanted to scout out region again. Clearer photos of some rock formations. Few coastal birds, only herring gull, guillemot. Midday is not a good time it seems. Inland saw pheasant, house sparrow, skylark, collared dove [rare view for me], starling, house martin. Future visits need clear day plus mid to high tide and earlier time. PHOTO OF COLLARED DOVE [Birds / Auchmithie]. Various white butterflies plus small tortoiseshell butterfly [Butterfly / Moth]
MAY 9, LURGIES : Nearly high tide on a hot, sunny day with few varieties of birds. Plenty eider duck and mute swan. Others were shelduck, little egret, female red-breasted merganser, maybe, but was wet and ruffled so not obvious to my eye. Also white butterflies. PHOTO OF FEMALE RED-BREASTED MERGANSER [Birds / Lurgies Mudbank
MAY 11, BALGAVIES LOCH : Saw more humans than birds on yet another beautiful day. Moorhen, osprey on nest, mallard, mute swan, greylag, great tit. The Highland cows were paddling at loch edge. More white butterflies
MAY 19, LURGIES : Hazy sun and windy coastal walk to see only mallard, shelduck, oyster catcher, mute swan and quite a few eider duck. Usual white butterfly varieties
MAY 22, AUCHMITHIE : Sunny and breezy on the cliff walk to see starling, house sparrow, meadow pipit, house martin, razorbill, guillemot, herring gull nesting and a NEW BIRD - KITTIWAKE. BETTER PHOTOS OF THE ROCK FORMATIONS AND NEW PHOTO OF A KITTIWAKE, another type of gull
NEW PHOTOS 2025
JANUARY 16 : GREAT-SPOTTED WOODPECKER; RED SQUIRREL [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 3 : MALLARD [male and female] [Birds / Lurgies Mudbank]
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]
NEW FINDS IN 2025
JANUARY 30 : RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, MALE [Birds / Lurgies Mudbank]
MAY 1 : SHAG [Birds / Auchmithie]
MAY 1 : RAZORBILL [Birds / Auchmithie]
MAY 9 : RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, FEMALE [Birds / Lurgies Mudbank]
MAY 22 : KITTIWAKE [Birds / Auchmithie]