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 2026
Temperature is the high for the day.
Mauve denotes bird walk
TUESDAY, JANUARY 13
Rain. 10mph wind. 4C
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14
Drizzle. 10mph wind. 3C
THURSDAY, JANUARY 15
Sunny showers. 8mph wind. 6C
FRIDAY, JANUARY 16
Gloomy, frost and ice. 2mph wind. 0C
SATURDAY, JANUARY 17
Dreich day of fog & heavy rain. 6mph wind. 5C
SUNDAY, JANUARY 18
Thick fog and drizzle. 4mph wind. 5C
MONDAY, JANUARY 19
Misty and damp. 2mph wind. 5C
TUESDAY, JANUARY 20
Misty and damp. 14mph wind. 7C
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
AUCHMITHIE ~
DOVE [COLLARED]
FULMAR
GUILLEMOT / MURRE
HERRING GULL [CHICK]
KESTREL
KITTIWAKE
MEADOW PIPIT
PIGEON [ROCK / FERAL]
RAZORBILL
SHAG
SPARROW [COMMON HOUSE]
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
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
Do not mention blackbird or carrion crow as seen virtually every walk
WIGEON COASTAL ~
GODWIT [BAR-TAILED]
GREENSHANK
KNOT
PINK-FOOTED GOOSE
PINTAIL
PLOVER [GREY]
SHOVELLER
WIGEON
WHIMBREL
WHOOPER SWAN
LURGIES ~
CANADA GOOSE
EGRET [GREAT]
EGRET [LITTLE]
LAPWING
LONG-TAILED DUCK
RUDDY SHELDUCK
SWAN [MUTE]
SWAN [WHOOPER]
SWAN [BLACK]
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]
TAYOCK ~
CARRION CROW
CURLEW
CURLEW SANDPIPER
GREEN WARBLER
MALLARD
PINTAIL
REDSHANK
TIT [LONG-TAILED]
WREN
FORFAR LOCH ~
BLACK-BACKED GULL [GREAT]
BLACK-BACKED GULL [LESSER]
BLACKCAP
CORMORANT
GADWALL
GREBE [GREAT-CRESTED]
GREBE [LITTLE]
GREY PARTRIDGE
MAGPIE
REDWING
SPARROW [TREE]
LURGIES HEDGEROW ~
CHAFFINCH
CHIFF-CHAFF
FIELDFARE
GREENFINCH
JACKDAW
LINNET
MOORHEN
ROBIN
ROOK
STARLING
YELLOWHAMMER
SEED STATION ~
BLUETIT
GOLDFINCH
GREENFINCH
PHEASANT
SISKIN
SPARROW [TREE]
STARLING
YELLOWHAMMER [Male/Female]
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 2026
JANUARY 16, FORFAR LOCH : At last, a bird walk after weeks of snow and rain, even though it was still frosty and icy. Photo above is a BIRD QUIZ showing a small section of lochside with water containing different birds - mallard, coot, moorhen, black-headed gull, gadwall, tufted duck, goldeneye that I can see. A mute swan, grey heron, pheasant, robin and magpie were elsewhere. Updated photo of FEMALE PHEASANT [Birds/River Esk to keep with male]. Doubt will get any new birds this year, keep saying this every year and been pleasantly wrong so far, although Auchmithie from April might produce puffins.
JANUARY 19, LURGIES : Damp and misty and few birds, most in number were seven teal but also saw redshank, little egret, herring gull, pheasant, bluetit. Disappointing.
NEW PHOTOS 2026
JANUARY 16 : PHEASANT [female] [Birds / River Esk]