Probably the most exciting sightings this week have been the 3 Moorhen chicks. 2 were first seen on the 15^th, with 3 sighted today at the Kingfisher Pond outside the Visitor Centre viewing window. After watching the 2 adults collect nesting material earlier on this year we weren’t sure if we would see any chicks, so 3 is great news.

Keeping with the rail family, a Water Rail chick was also seen this week at the Bank of Scotland hide on the 17^th. Another unusual sighting was a Peregrine Falcon seen catching and consuming a Redshank just outside the Visitor Centre on the 14^th.

Other sightings this week include a Sparrowhawk seen outside the Visitor Centre on the 15^th. I Green Sandpiper, 3 Dunlin, 106 Lapwing, 4 Black-tailed Godwit, and 11 Greenshank seen at the Lurgies on the 16^th, and 44 Common Sandpiper also seen at the Lurgies on the 17^th. From the Visitor Centre 198 Redshank were seen on the 13^th, 14 Canada Geese on the 15^th, 1 Greylag Goose on the 16^th, and 61 Goldeneye also on the 16^th. Goosander and Red-breasted Merganser numbers have remained high, with 48 and 74 counted on the 13^th respectively. Grey Heron numbers have now reached 37, and these can be seen throughout the Basin.

In other news, we have a new exhibition at the Visitor Centre by the Montrose Basin Heritage Society which will run until the end of August. Entitled ‘Mapping Montrose Basin’ it is a display of extracts taken from a series of maps covering the Montrose area from the 16^th Century until relatively modern times.

Georgina Bowie, Visitor Centre Assistant