Our
Expeditions: September 2021
Good Riddance 2020
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Week ending: 19th September: Stevenston and Saltcoats
It was another Sunday where “West was best” in terms of the weather. It had been about 7 weeks
since our last visit to Stevenston, so we decided to head for the Point, via Stevenston Morrisons
of course for two of their fine breakfasts (9/10: excellent but -1 for inferior margarine).
At Stevenston Point the tide was high and there were familiar birds gathered on the rocks. These
included Ringed Plovers, Oystercatchers and Turnstones. I managed a snap of a young
Cormorant splashing down just off the rocks.
| Ringed Plover |
Oystercatcher |
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| Turnstone |
Juvenile Cormorant |
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I noticed a few Yellow Fieldcap mushrooms near where I was standing and tried out the
camera of my new iPhone 12 mini. I’m fairly satisfied with the results. We walked to the East side
of the peninsula but it was quiet apart from the appearance of an inquisitive Rock Pipit. However,
we got a big surprise on the West side since about 30 Golden Plovers were on shoreside
rocks. We were careful not to get too close as they are very flighty. Our caution was a waste of
effort because a very noisy high tech drone started flying at great speed above the Point, putting
up most of the small waders as well as the Golden Plovers. The overzealous drone handler
had obviously no concern for the well-being of birds.
| Yellow Fieldcap |
Rock Pipit |
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After the drone was packed away, a few birds returned to the rocks and I was pleased to discover
of a few Sanderlings and a single Knot. Some Ringed Plovers also flew in from the West and
settled beside the Sanderlings. One Common Gull, displaced by the influx, flew off rather
disconsolately.
| Sanderling |
Knot |
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| Ringed Plover |
Common Gull |
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After an hour we relocated to Auchenharvie Golf Course where there is a pond that often
attracts birds of interest. On our walk from the car park we passed a Sea Buckthorn tree that was
loaded with orange berries. As we approached the pond we could see a Grey Heron standing at
the edge of a small island. John spotted a female Stonechat on vegetation at the edge of
the Loch. I carefully approached the bird and managed a couple of shots as it moved between the
clumps of reeds.
| Sea Buckthorn |
Grey Heron |
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Looking to the far side of the pond we couldn’t miss the large (50+) flock of Canada Geese on the
waters to the front of the ruin of Auchenharvie Castle. A family of Mute Swans, two adults
with five cygnets, was sitting by the shore. Other birds I photographed at the west side of the
pond were Coot, Tufted Duck and Great Black-backed Gull.
| Tufted Duck |
Great Black-backed Gull |
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As we walked back to the car and glanced again at the little island, John noticed a black and
white duck that had been disturbed by the Heron. It is most probably a Mulard, a Moscovy
X Mallard hybrid. We watched a Black-headed Gull and Common Gull pursue a young Herring
Gull that was clutching a slice of bread in its beak. After a long chase the youngster outflew the
chasers and made off with its prize.
| Muscovy X Mallard Hybrid |
1st Cycle Herring Gull |
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As we drove out of the golf club car park I noticed that there was a juvenile Grey Heron standing
in the middle of a small pond. John thought it was dispatching a fish it had caught. Just beyond it
there was a lovely Black-tailed Godwit probing the waters for invertebrates. Of course I stopped
the car, got out and took a few pictures.
| Juvenile Grey Heron |
Black-tailed Godwit |
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Next we drove the short distance to Salcoats harbour and walked along the harbour pier. I could
see a large flock of Sanderling just below the sea wall on the opposite shore. They were, however
spooked by a pair of children exploring the rocks. I photographed passing Gannets and I got a
picture of a Turnstone that was standing at the pier-side. We eventually walked around the
harbour and were delighted to find a small flock of Redshanks, Sanderling and Dunlin gathered on
the rocks just below the sea wall. I managed to photograph them without putting them up.
| Sanderling |
Gannet |
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| Turnstone |
Redshank |
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| Sanderling |
Dunlin |
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We also saw a Curlew that was hiding behind the large rocky outcrop on the west side of the
harbour water. A well-lit Turnstone was picking its way across piles of seaweed, as were lots of
Starlings, their iridescent plumage sparkling in the strong sunlight. Our final shot of the visit was of
a scraggly Pied Wagtail, probably a female, one of many Pied Wagtails that were darting between
the large boulders that line the harbour as they hunted flies.
| Curlew |
Turnstone |
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| Starling |
Female Pied Wagtail |
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We were very fortunate to have had almost ideal lighting throughout our visit. It was Strawberry
tarts once again that accompanied our strong tea (well, we do like them). The Golden Plovers
were a delight to see, as were the close views of the waders right at the end. I’m hoping for sunny
weather again next week. No surprise there then.
Week ending: 12 September: Pow Burn
A dull, grey day was predicted for the whole of Central Scotland with only the merest chance of
sunny spells to the West. We decided therefore to head for the Ayrshire coast, to a place we last
visited over two years ago, Pow Burn, near Prestwick.
We had nice breakfasts in Stewartfield Morrisons (8/10: good, but -2
for overcooked bacon and miniature slices of toast) before whizzing
down the M77 to the site just before Prestwick Airport. After parking
carefully on the St Andrews Caravan Park access road, it was a 50m walk
to the bridge that took us to the southern side of the burn. On the
walk we encountered the lateflowering plants, Common Toadflax and
Soapwort. Bramble bushes were heavily laden with fruit but a few
Bramble flowers were still in bloom. Yarrow , the very common white umbilifer
was poking through the grassy path-side verges.
| Common Toadflax |
Soapwort, Rosea Plena Variant |
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| Bramble |
Yarrow |
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At the bridge over the Pow Burn we could see a scraggly Woodpigeon at the water’s edge.
Nearby, a Carrion Crow was preening on wooden posts that were marked with St Andrew’s flags
(probably related to the neighbouring St Andrews Caravan Park). An angry Curlew appeared on
the scene, scaring away a younger Curlew that had been out of sight to us. A few Redshank were
treading about in the shallows, occasionally making their shrill, piping calls.
| Wood Pigeon |
Carrion Crow |
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| Curlew |
Redshank |
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After leaving the bridge our strategy was to walk along the South-west side of the Burn. While
that side is raised as much as 10m above the Burn, the problem was that much of the area was
filled with impenetrable vegetation such as chest high grasses and Bramble bushes. However
there were a few gaps that enabled us to gain access to clear viewing points. Before the first of
these I photographed a tiny Nettle Tap Moth on Common Ragwort. John also found one of
our favourite hoverflies, The Footballer, Helophilus pendulus. The Curlew we’d seen earlier
was making its way downstream past a Black-headed Gull that was paddling in the water.
| Common Nettle-tap Moth |
Helophilus pendulus |
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| Curlew |
Black-headed Gull |
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At the next gap in the undergrowth we looked down on the Burn, which was wide like a pool.
Oystercatchers were flying past and a few Teal were dabbling in the water. A large Grey Heron
was on the opposite bank, but it flew off, possibly disturbed by one of the many aeroplanes
approaching Prestwick Airport.
John alerted me to a Large White butterfly that eventually came to rest on a wide leaf. I
determined it was a female due to the way it presented itself for any passing male. I accidentally
disturbed it as I photographed it but it flew only a short distance away, allowing me the chance of
a nice profile shot. John, who was spotting particularly well, found a Carder Bee on Ragwort
flowers and then a newbie fly, Cynomya mortuorum nearby on the path.
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| Common Carder Bumblebee |
Fly -Cynomya mortuorum |
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We passed a large patch of Canadian Goldenrod. Its vivid yellow flowers were attracting an
assortment of insects. I snapped shots of a Honey Bee and the Greenbottle, Lucilia Caesar. I
noticed a Brown-lipped Snail hiding on foliage beneath the flowers. Further along the path, as we
neared the mouth of the Pow Burn where it flows into the sea, I noticed a fungus, which I think
was a Fairy Ring Mushroom.
| Honey Bee |
Fly - Lucilia caesar |
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| Brown-lipped Snail |
Fairy Ring Mushroom |
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We scanned the seashore for birds but there were too many dog walkers to expect any success
on that front. The birds that were there, mainly the usual gulls, were constantly on the move as
they searched for a safe resting place.
We both agreed that the Pow Burn was, well, a bit on the quiet side from a bird-seeking point of
view. But we moved away from the Burn on our return path parallel to the beach. We came upon a
100+ flock of the Thistle Finch, as it was once known, but is now commonly known as the
Goldfinch . They were feeding on masses of seeding thistles. The flock contained a
significant number of juveniles, so the birds were very flighty, flying away at the slightest
perceived danger. However I did manage a few decent shots.
We kept an eye on the seafront as we walked parallel to the dunes. My trusty spotter cried,
“Incoming!” giving me time to photograph a sizeable flock of about forty passing Goosanders.
I snapped a gloomy shot of a Jackdaw as it flew over us, just as John found a pair of Stonechats
that were high on grass stems, probably checking us out. On later inspection of my pictures I
think there were three Stonechats , 2 adults and a juvenile.
| Jackdaw |
Juvenile Stonechat |
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| Stonechat |
Female Stonechat |
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Just before we reached the road that would return us to the bridge, we had a last look over the
vast beach towards Prestwick. As can be seen from the photo, the sky was overcast (but,
typically, it cleared just as we were leaving).
I noticed a large Buff-tailed Bumblebee, probably a queen, crawling laboriously up the sand dune.
I offered it some drops of water on a small leaf and left it in peace. At the foot of the dune there
were some late-flowering Field Bindweed, and I photographed a Common Drone Fly on a
Catsear bloom. Just before we reached the road there was a Prestwick Golf Club information
board celebrating the club’s “Flora and Fauna ”. It drew attention to a nice variety of fauna
but didn’t make any mention of its rich flora, which is a pity since within the area where the board
was sited we saw beautiful Evening Primroses and some Sheepsbit. Back at the car
we made our final sighting, a big Rabbit snoozing in a field.
| Queen Buff-tailed Bumblebee |
Field Bindweed |
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| Common Dronefly |
Evening Primrose |
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| Sheepsbit |
Rabbit |
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We didn’t see the sun (until we were on our way home!) but we certainly enjoyed the trip. We
ended up with a fair variety of flora and fauna. We sipped our teas and tucked into large
strawberry tarts (which needed spoons!) as we reflected on our favourite moments. Mine were the
excitable Goldfinches and the watchful Stonechats. We should return to Pow Burn more often,
preferably on sunnier days
Week ending: September 5th: Musselburgh
With a rainy weather front sneaking in from the West, we decided East was best this week. There
were encouraging reports of bird activity at Musselburgh, so it was a no-brainer, Dalkeith
Morrisons for brekkies (9.5/10: excellent; half off for slight overdone bacon), then we’d park at the
Cadet Hall at the mouth of the Esk and then walk to the Scrapes.
When we arrived, the light was quite bright and improving, although , as can be seen from the
view over Edinburgh, visibility was poor.
The tide was coming in and there was a fine variety of birds getting pushed ever-closer to the
shore by the advancing waters. Probably the most prominent of these were the Mute Swans, of
which there were at least one hundred (a fraction of them can be seen above). There were also
large numbers of Goosanders and Greylag Geese. There was a pretty light brown Greylag variant
and I also noticed a Pink-footed Goose preening in the middle of the flock of Greylags. Maybe it
was carrying an injury that prevented it from heading back north with its own flock.
| Female Goosander |
Greylag Geese |
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| Greylag Goose |
Pink-footed Goose |
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As we walked East along the “promenade” towards the Scrapes, birds were already flying from
the shore and beating us to it. Impressive “squadrons” of Oystercatchers and Greylags sped past
us. There were also a few Turnstones (heading West) and Curlew in the mix.
| Oystercatcher |
Greylag Goose |
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| Turnstone |
Curlew |
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A Shag also passed Westwards. The background sounds were provided mainly by Sandwich
Terns as they searched and dived for fish. Gannets too were busy doing the same, sadly
though they were about 500m from the shore. I think the main fish being hunted by the Gannets
was Mackerel whose numbers peak around August. John emitted a joyous sound when he
spotted a Common Seal breaking the surface fairly near the sea wall.
| Shag |
Sandwich Tern |
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| Gannet |
Common Seal |
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Another fish-eater we witnessed were Razorbills, members of the Auk family. A parent bird
was diving a few metres from the sea wall and emerging seconds later with what looked like
Capelin fish, which the waiting hungry chick waiting quickly swallowed. We also saw a large flock
of drake Eiders displaying plumages in various stages of development into their familiar white and
black. Well away from the flock there was a solitary female Eider draped in the usual, some would
say boring brown plumage.
| Eclipse Eider |
Female Eider |
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On our way into the Scrapes we encountered a Carder Bee on some Crooked Thistles. We next
positioned ourselves in the middle hide and proceeded to capture images of the variety of bird
species on show, many of which, such as Curlew and Greylags, we saw flying East from the
mouth of the Esk. E.g. I picked out the light brown Greylag. I managed a pleasing record shot of a
Little Stint that was active at the near edge of one of the furthest pools.
| Carder Bee |
Curlew |
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| Greylag Goose |
Little Stint |
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The pictures below show the masses of Oystercatchers and Bar-tailed Godwits that were
present on the back pools.
There were a few Black-tailed Godwits feeding in the pool in front of the hide. But most of
the excitement was over the pool as we observed incoming flocks, such as Teal and Greylags. We
even saw a passing Buzzard that was swiftly seen off by a few angry Crows. We moved to the
left-hand hide and on the way I noticed a Ermine Moth caterpillar on the bark of a Silver Birch
tree.
| Black-tailed Godwit |
Teal |
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| Teal |
Greylag Goose |
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| Buzzard |
Ermine Moth Caterpillar |
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A pair of Magpies amused us for a bit until John spotted a Roe Deer lurking in the reeds. I next
photographed a Female Pied Wagtail and then I noticed a pair of Common Snipe (linkH) sitting on
grassy bank right in front of the hide on the near edge of the centre scrape. Their camouflage is
so good I forgave myself for not seeing them sooner. On our way to the the right-hand hide John
noticed a few Speckled Wood butterflies fluttering above the Bramble bushes.
| Magpie |
Roe Deer |
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| Female Wagtail |
Snipe |
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| Snipe |
Speckled Wood Butterfly |
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We were pleased to see a pair of Ruff probing the mud of the left hand scrape, and we were
even more pleased when a hovering Kestrel appeared not far from the Ruff. It was escorted off the
premises by some Crows but not before I had bagged a decent picture. I snapped a Lapwing and
then one of three Grey Herons that were standing a the back of that scrape.
| Ruff |
Kestrel |
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| Lapwing |
Grey Heron |
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On our trek back along the “prom” we found that the Razorbills were no longer to be seen but
they had been replaced by Common Guillemots, their Auk “cousins”. A fine-looking Black-headed Gull
caught my eye as I followed the Guillemots. It was lit perfectly by the sun as it bobbed in the deep
blue water. This was followed by a flypast of a juvenile Shelduck flying East. Further along the
path there was a Silver Y Moth feeding on Red Clover and this was followed by a sighting of a
Honey Bee on Tall Melilot. Our final pictures of the day were of a flock of Gadwall that flew rapidly
overhead. At first I thought they were more Teal that we had seen earlier, but on inspection of the
pictures I’m now sure they are Gadwall.
| Common Guillemots |
Black-headed Gull |
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| Juvenile Shelduck |
Silver Y Moth |
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| Honey Bee |
Gadwall |
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Well we both thought that it had been a brilliant day - lots of sightings in lovely warm sunny
weather. It fairly helped our teas and Strawberry Tarts go down a treat. Highlights for me were the
Auks, particularly the Razorbills feeding fish to their chicks, and it was great to see Ruff, Little
Stint and Kestrel. More of the same next week wherever we end up.
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