‘And far abune the Angus straths I saw the wild geese flee,
A lang, lang skein o’ beatin’ wings wi’ their heids towards the sea,
And aye their cryin’ voices trailed ahint them on the air
O Wind, hae maircy, haud yer whisht, for I daurna listen mair!’
(Violet Jacob, ‘Songs of Angus’, 1915)
The House of Dun estate includes part of the internationally important wildlife site of the Montrose Basin Nature Reserve.
Dominating the views from the house and surrounding landscape, the Montrose Basin has an abundance of interesting wildlife. It’s in the autumn and winter months, though, that the Basin really comes to life, when tens of thousands of pink-footed geese arrive from Greenland and Iceland. The incredible sight and sound of their arrival is best appreciated in the bird hides next to the Basin. These can be reached by the footpaths starting from the Mill car park, across the road from the entrance to the estate.
Other birds to watch out for on the mudflats and waters of the Basin include ospreys, kingfishers, redshanks, eider ducks, wigeon and dunlins.
The Scottish Wildlife Trust have produced a handy guide to walks around the reserve on their website.