The gales and rain continued into the early part of the month, and spate kept the river running high for the first week or so.
Then a spell of good dry days and frosty nights saw the river level drop back again.
This month our work was concentrated mostly in Newburgh, with the old boatyard clear up continuing, more skips were filled with rubbish and scaffolding erected for the next phase of the job.
On the waterfront at Robertsons Pier the old iron fence was removed, to open up the green area, and the old tarmac path dug out and replaced with soil.
The centre area of the pier was cleared up to remove the last of the metal and nails left over from the boat burning night, and some bollards were put in place at the gate area to prevent vehicle access.
On a trip down to Tayport for outboard engine parts, we got the chance to see the estuary from a different angle looking over the railway bridge to Dundee.
There was some tractor work up in the estuary, clearing silt and growth from the gravel beaches, taking them back to there original state and giving some of the wintering birds more areas to use.
There is plenty of bird-life about the riverside, with redshank numbers staying around the 40 mark this month, teal duck around the 100 and goldeneye 100+. Feeding stations in the woods have been kept topped up at regular intervals, the smaller birds enjoying the seed and fatblocks.
During the colder spell we were seeing more redwing and fieldfare, curlew have been seen at a couple of locations and the kingfisher is still about. A mother otter and her two young were a regular sight for a few days, and the fox was seen scavenging along the shoreline.
The month ended as it started with gales, a lot of rain into the system and more spate.
