Montrose Basin walk

A haven for migratory birds

Montrose Basin Wildlife Reserve, just a few minutes from Montrose town centre, offers the perfect opportunity to see a variety of resident and migratory birds all year round, including up to 60,000 pink-footed geese in late September/early October. The following is just a small selection of the walks on offer at the reserve.

The routes

1. Shelduck hide (3 km)

This is the longest of the reserves walks but one which takes in a variety of different and interesting habitats. You can combine it with a trip to the Wigeon hide, but don’t forget your lunch!

From the car park, walk through a small area of woodland - keep your eyes open for a great spotted woodpecker or sparrowhawk. On the farmland, three song birds are listed as species of highest conservation concern: yellowhammer, linnet and twite, but with careful farm management numbers are beginning to recover. Look out for linnets perched on fences in breeding pairs and in large flocks during winter.

As you enter the reserve, cross the old railway line. At high tide, much of this land is below sea level and is protected by the sea wall. Beyond this is a cluster of trees and the Mill Burn reed bed, an important area for breeding sedge warblers. In the early morning, listen for the distinctive call of the grasshopper warbler and marvel at the large roosts of sand martins and swallows during late summer.

Other species you might see: fieldfares, greenshank, oystercatcher, whooper and mute swan, red admiral and peacock butterflies.

2. Wigeon hide (1.5 km)

It is best to visit the Wigeon hide around high tide (call the Visitor Centre for these times). Follow the directions for the Shelduck hide walk, but at the junction take the route through open arable land. This area is home to breeding grey partridge, a species of conservation concern. The Wigeon hide provides a bird's-eye view of the salt marsh and the Montrose skyline. Most species of wader on the reserve can be seen near here and on a winter’s day look out for shelduck, eider and over 2,500 wigeon.

The keen eye can also pick out the remnants of the Dronner’s Dyke in the middle of the Basin. Today, all that remains of this ambitious attempt in 1670s to reclaim further land from the sea are piles of stones.

Succulent stems of glasswort (Salicornia spp) cling improbably to the mud in front of the hide and in late summer the purple flowers of sea aster (Aster tripolium) dominate the salt marsh. Looking along the sea wall from this vantage point you may see a peregrine, merlin or even a short-eared owl hunting for voles in the long grass. 

3. Lurgies walk (up to 2 km each way)

This part of the reserve was used as a dock as far back as 1178. Until 1780, when the Basin was probably deeper than it is now, it was regularly used by flat-bottomed boats laden with 50 – 60 tons of cargo. Historically, the South Esk flowed into an area known as the Lurgies. The land was reclaimed through the building of the wall which this route follows, but the area has never really dried out, leaving areas of common reed (Phragmites australis) and wet grassland.

As you leave the car park and walk towards the sea wall, you may be rewarded with a view of a kingfisher perched at the burn mouth or a water rail skulking in the reed bed. Reed bunting and sedge warblers breed in the reed bed to the left and are often seen. Listen for the descending notes of the willow warbler’s song. Along the path, look out for hare and roe deer which graze in the meadows on your left.

Exposed mud in the area attracts many waders, particularly during spring and autumn migration. Greenshank are seen on the river’s edge or in muddy pools, and common sandpiper also feed in this area, noticeable for their distinctive bobbing and nervous behaviour. Outside the breeding season, little grebe congregate at high tide at the river mouth.

Further upstream, you may see mute swans. One or two pairs breed on the reserve but hundreds visit as a safe place to undergo their annual moult. Heads of common seals are often seen popping out of the water or on sand banks in the middle of the Basin.

Other species you might see: redshank, snipe, curlew, moorhen, red-breasted merganser and goosander, goldeneye, osprey, linnet, yellowhammer, otter, grey seal, common darter dragonfly.

4. Tayock hide

Tayock is a woodland in the making. Historically a municipal rubbish tip, the area has been given new life and planted up with numerous native species including willow, silver birch, rowan, oak, ash, cherry, alder, holly, Scots pine, elder, hazel and hawthorn. In addition to this, wildflower seed has been distributed to encourage a more interesting ground flora; look out for the flowers, like poppy, in spring.