31st December
Belhaven
Bay
The
last visit of the year was on Hogmanay, to Belhaven Bay. Once again the
weather along the Central Belt was predicted to be wild, wet and windy,
except for the Dunbar coast, which was to have been just wild and
windy, but, significantly, with a chance of sunshine. And so it turned
out. After a speedy journey east, that I felt I hardly had to press the
accelerator as the gale-force wind was at my back, I was on my own
again for Dalkeith Morrisons breakfast (9.5/10) as John was preparing
for New Year celebrations. Then after a 20 minute drive further east to
the car park at Belhaven Bay I stepped out into the sunshine and
immediately got my first shot - a Curlew feeding on the salt marsh. With
it were quite a few Wigeon and Oystercatchers highlighted nicely by the
low midday winter sunlight. As I walked west along the path that
followed the seawall I was startled briefly by a very fine Little Egret
that I had unwittingly disturbed. It flew into the area of the Seafield
Pond, where I was headed.
Curlew
|
Wigeon
|
Oystercatcher
|
Little
Egret
|
|
|
|
|
The
tide was in and as I scanned the inner Bay, the birds I could see, on
and above the water, were almost all gulls, predominantly Black-headed,
Common and Herring Gulls. Some Mallards were dotted about and some more
Wigeon.
Black-headed
Gull
|
Common
Gull
|
Herring
Gull
|
Mallard
|
|
|
|
|
At
the Pond I caught up with the Little Egret which was perched on a tree
along with a pair of Grey Herons. On a raft in the middle of the pond a
young Cormorant was drying its wings, but apart from these the pond was
very quiet. I plodded back to the car intending to move on but then
noticed three Little Egrets by the seawall. I got back out of the car
and marched back over the wall to get some nice shots, nicely lit and
from close range. I think the birds must have been tired as they
didn’t
take off as I photographed them, as I’m sure they must have
seen me,
and the walkers who passed. I returned to the car for a cuppa, pleased
with the pictures I had so far. Right beside the car a small flock of
Greenfinches landed long enough for me to snap a decent shot.
Little
Egret
|
Cormorant
|
Little
Egret
|
Greenfinch
|
|
|
|
|
After
tea, as the light was still fine, I had another wee walk along the
seawall where I observed the antics of some really close-in Wigeon. One
particular pair were mating, the female almost submerged. She had good
post-coital flap of her wings before she and her mate got back to
foraging.
As
I headed back west into the wind and rain and dullness I felt satisfied
with my collection of shots. Let the Hogmanay festivities begin!
Pictures of the Week:
Little
Egret
|
Cormorant
|
|
|
Wigeon
|
Little
Egret
|
|
|
|
24th
December 2017
Skateraw and Spott
I headed East,
alone this week as John had
“seasonal family duties” to perform. So after the
usual Dalkeith
Morrisons’ breakfast and a check of my weather app I
determined that my
best chance of sunshine was at Skateraw. It was a brave decision as the
rest of the Central Belt was experiencing dull and damp weather, and,
as I arrived at the car park, it was raining. But, the clouds seemed to
be parting, and I saw that there were birds waiting to be photographed.
So off I went. The first birds captured were a few Mallards close to
the shore. Near them a small flock of Ringed Plovers were scurrying
along the water’s edge, stopping suddenly every so often to
check me
out. I edged my way around the Harbour and settled below the edge of
Chapel Point to shelter from the very stiff breeze. A Cormorant flew
overhead just as I noticed a Whimbrel quite far out on the exposed
rocks. It took flight and landed a bit closer (see “Pictures
of the
Week”, below).
Mallard
|
Ringed Plover
|
Cormorant
|
Whimbrel
|
|
|
|
|
At this point
the sun made an appearance. The
Barns Ness Lighthouse sat brightly amid the background of the very dark
grey rain clouds. A group of Cormorants on the rocks was similarly
illuminated. I then heard a familiar chirping of a Wagtail that had
flown in and landed before me. It hopped its way across the rocks,
occasionally making rapid detours to catch the odd passing fly. From
its plumage I could see it was a White Wagtail. I moved northward round
the shore until I came upon a pile of seaweed where Redshanks and Rock
Pipits were foraging for invertebrates.
I paused there
for a time as I sheltered from
a brief passing shower. As I sat there, waves were breaking violently
on rocks just offshore. After the squall had passed I pressed on along
the shore towards some Oystercatchers, and beyond them, some Wigeon.
Behind these, the sky over the sea was rainbow coloured –
caused
probably by the remnants of the rain I’d just experienced. As
I edged
out towards the water’s edge I discovered a Curlew probing
the beach.
I then managed
some decent shots of a male and
a female Wigeon before they noticed me and paddled away leaving a
Bar-tailed Godwit alone at the water’s edge. It too saw me
but looked
as though it was in two minds as to whether or not it should take
flight. A 1st cycle Herring Gull flew just overhead seemingly
encouraging me on.
Wig
|
eon
|
Bar-tailed
Godwit
|
1st Cycle Herring Gull
|
|
|
|
|
Eventually I
reached Dryburn where about 100
Gulls were gathered on rocks but I could see rain approaching so I
decided to make my way back to the car. As I reached the beach I
noticed the Ringed Plovers were still there, this time well lit by
sunlight. I also saw a Sanderling and a couple of Dunlin. A pair of
Oystercatchers were also working away on the shore (see
“Pictures of
the Week”, below), and beyond them, a Curlew picking its way
carefully
among the rocks.
Herring Gulls
|
Ringed Plover
|
Sanderling
|
Dunlin
|
|
|
|
|
I decided to
move make my way back west, but
via the fields around Spott to see if there were any geese there. As I
left Skateraw I was surprised to find Pink-footed Geese in the field
beside the road. By this time the light was fading so I proceeded
towards Spott. My luck was in as I noticed a few Red-legged Partridges
pecking at the roadside. Further along the road the adjacent fields
held more Pinkfoots. They watched me nervously as I took a few
pictures. I didn’t put them up but wished somehow I should
have as it
would have made for some nice pictures.
Curlew
|
Pink-footed Geese
|
Red-legged Partridges
|
Pink-footed Geese |
|
|
|
|
And that was that
for this week. I drove west filled with a fair degree of satisfaction.
I wonder how many walkers, birders or, photographers were cowering
indoors from the rain when they could have come to East Lothian for a
wonderful time – Merry Christmas!
Pictures of the
Week
White Wagtail
|
Whimbrel
|
|
|
Oystercatcher
|
Red-legged Partridge
|
|
|
17th December 2017
Troon, Irvine
Harbour and
Ardeer Quarry LNR
As we set off
west it was raining
but was predicted to have cleared by early afternoon. There had been a
report of an Iceland Gull in Troon, so we were headed there hoping the
weathe arrived arrived rman was right. We had a pit stop at East
Kilbride Stewartfield
Morrisons where we had a very enjoyable breakfast (9/10). When we
eventually arrived at Troon Harbour, the rain, and more annoyingly, the
light was not conducive to good pictures. However, we pressed on, and
it wasn’t long before I had captured images of a passing
Cormorant and
a Rock Pipit. John spotted a Herring Gull tackling a crab, pestered all
the time by an eager 1st cycle juvenile, maybe one of its young.
Cormorant
|
Rock Pipit
|
Herring Gull
|
1st Cycle Herring Gull
|
|
|
|
|
Lady Isle to
the SW of Troon
became visible – evidence that the rain was clearing. I
snapped a
Starling as it leapt from inside a litter bin and a lone Redshank stood
at the water’s edge, but there were very few other birds
about. We
moved round to the harbour but we didn’t see the Iceland Gull
but there
were plenty of Eider.
We then moved
north of the harbour
to scan the shoreline for any waders. Apart from a few Redshanks there
were no waders but in the bushes above the shore we came across
Collared Doves lurking in the gloom. Beyond them we saw a large flock
of Greenfinches and Goldfinches, but they were very flighty and it was
a wee while before I managed any decent shots. We decided to move up
the coast to Irvine Harbour, but all we saw there were a colourful
piebald feral Pigeon and a passing Shag.
Collard Dove
|
Greenfinch
|
Piebald
Feral Pigeon
|
Shag
|
|
|
|
|
We moved on again to
another location, Ardeer
Quarry LNR, Stevenston. We
were greeted by a large family of Mute Swans. The cygnets were less
than
pleased that we didn’t feed them, showing their displeasure
by hissing loudly
as we moved past them. There were Tufted Ducks and Mallards on the pond
but
were were more interested in the small group of Duclair Ducks moving
about the
reedbed. Our final destination was Stevenston Point. We moved there to
have tea
and a Danish but before the water was poured John spotted a small
Common Seal
attempting to crawl onto the slipway. It seemed to have been in the
wars,
showing some sort of injury on its right lip. As we photographed the
seal, a
flock of Dunlin swept past and landed about a 100m away.
Mute Swan
|
Duclair Duck
|
Common Seal
|
Dunlin
|
|
|
|
|
We sheltered
from the stiff wind
behind the sea wall and had our tea and Danish. It had been a bit of a
damp dash around multiple sites and although we failed in our original
mission of locating the Iceland Gull, we had some good shots in the
camera despite the unfavourable conditions.
Pictures of the Week:
Herring Gull
|
Collared Dove
|
|
|
Starling
|
Common Seal
|
|
|
10th December
2017
Stevenston,
Saltcoats
and Irvine
Harbour
I was on my own
this week as John
had family business. The weather, always the primary consideration, was
cold, but, with cloudless sunny skies, I headed west to Stevenston
Point to see what it could offer me by way of natural spectacles. I had
a lovely, lonely brekky (9/10) in Stevenston Morrisons to set me up
with the calories I’d need to combat the frosty coastal air.
After
parking on the Point I couldn’t fail to be immediately
impressed by the
panorama before me. Arran, cloaked white in snow, surrounded by the
richest shades of blue from the sky above it and the sea before it.
Amid this awesome scene the Ardrossan Ferry seemed tiny as it crept
towards Brodick. Much nearer I noticed flocks of birds foraging in the
shallows. Redshank, Black-headed Gulls and Sanderling frantically
scoured the sands and rocks for a precious food. In the background my
peace was continuously disturbed by the annoying droning of motorcycles
that were speeding up and down Ardeer sands. It was time to move on.
Arran
|
Redshank
|
Sanderling
|
1st Cycle Black-headed Gull
|
|
|
|
|
I next tried my
luck at Saltcoats
Harbour. Beautifully marked Starlings were scurrying around the grass
verges of the car park. The rock pools in the Harbour held a few
Redshanks and a solitary Dunlin that was probing small rocks and weed
just below the sea wall. I walked out to the south end of the Harbour
and was delighted to discover a group of busy Purple Sandpipers
exploring the rocks. I disturbed some Oystercatchers as I crept
carefully around the end of the wall to get a better angle for shots of
the Purple Sands.
Starling
|
Dunlin
|
Purple
Sandpiper
|
Oystercatcher
|
|
|
|
|
As I returned
to the car, the sun
light illuminated a pair of Great Black-backed Gulls, probably parent
and juvenile, sunbathing on the sea wall. On another part of the wall,
a cock Feral Pigeon tried his luck, stopping and prancing as he
attempted to catch the eye of a seemingly disinterested female. My
final capture was of a well-lit Carrion Crow eyeing me up lest I
dropped something edible.
Great Black-backed Gull
|
1st Cycle Great Black-backed Gull
|
Feral Pigeon
|
Carrion Crow
|
|
|
|
|
My final stop
of the day was
Irvine Harbour. The confluence of the Rivers Garnock and Irvine were
surprisingly active with various divers – Mergansers, Grey
Seals and
Cormorants. By this time the sun was starting to set and was reddening
by the second, adding a pleasing, rich, ruddy hue to my photos.
Female Red
Breasted Merganser
|
Male Red
Breasted Merganser
|
Common Seal
|
Cormorant
|
|
|
|
|
A pair of Mute
Swans cruised past
just as a large flock of Wigeon swept past overhead. I think the flock
were spooked by a passing boat carrying four technical-looking guys
dressed in high-vis waterproofs and headgear. A Curlew and a Grey Heron
on the bank were unconcerned by all the commotion and simply got on
with their business.
Mute Swan
|
Wigeon
|
Curlew
|
Grey Heron
|
|
|
|
|
After a quick
cuppa, it was back up the M77, fairly satisfied with my haul of photos.
Pictures of the
week:
Starling
|
Purple Sandpiper
|
|
|
3rd
December 2017
Doonfoot
and Loans near
Troon
We headed west
this week,
primarily to check out reports of Pink-footed Geese south of Loans near
Troon in Ayrshire. After a rather disappointing breakfast in Kilmarnock
ASDA (5/10 – served on cold plates), we made our way down the
A77 then
up the A78 to the turnoff for Loans. We found the Geese right where
they
were supposed to be, sitting in a big field south of Loans. I took
several rather boring pictures of them nibbling grass and just as we
were about to move on they were disturbed by something and took to the
air enabling me to get some more spectacular photos. John estimated
there were around 800 birds, mainly Pink-footed and Greylag Geese, but
I did spot a Barnacle flying with the Pinkies.
Pink-Footed Geese
|
Greylag
Goose
|
Barnacle Goose
|
Pink-Footed Geese |
|
|
|
|
The vast
multitudes of geese
circulating the air above Loan made an awesome sight. Right in the
middle of the field stood a Grey Heron, probably wondering what all the
fuss was about. Eventually the geese settled in the far side of the
field. This was our signal to move on to Doonfoot on the south side of
Ayr, the “toon that all surpasses for honest men and bonny
lassies”.
Burns might have added that there are quite a few birds there too.
Moments after parking near the mouth of the Doon we found a small flock
of very pretty Teal. They were obviously used to people walking past
their wee pond as I was able to get to fairly close (~10m) for my shots.
Grey Heron
|
Pink-Footed Geese |
Teal
|
Teal
|
|
|
|
|
A large number
of birds were
assembled in the river shallows. Carrion Crows and Jackdaws were having
a water bath. Herring Gulls and Black-headed Gulls were merely
standing, probably waiting on the tide receding.
Carrion
Crows
|
Jackdaw
|
Herring Gull
|
Black-headed
Gull
|
|
|
|
|
Overhead,
Lapwings were performing
aerial acrobatics as they moved from one unsatisfactory site to
another. A Common Gull joined the merry throng, and, as I snapped it
mid-flight, I happened to notice a tight group of Redshanks with
Lapwings and Turnstones on the opposite bank.
We moved on to
Greenan Shore at this point, a site dominated by the ruin of Greenan
Castle.
As
we left the car, we were met by a jolly little Pied Wagtail. It was
unconcerned with my pictures-taking antics and I managed to capture
some nice shots. On the sea, a lonely Mute Swan bobbed about carelessly
as several Redshanks scoured the shoreline for titbits. Apart from
these birds, the Shore was very quiet so we moved back along an
adjacent field. We immediately came across a Wren darting about the
undergrowth.
Pied Wagtail
|
Mute Swan
|
Redshank
|
Wren
|
|
|
|
|
In the midst of
the now
leaf-free bushes I also caught sight of a lovely Robin (see
“Pictures
of the week”). The wildflowers should all be gone by now, but
due to
the mild weather a few hardy specimens were still in bloom, such as Red
Campion and Black Nightshade. All that remained, though, of the
umbilifers that were so plentiful at the height of summer, were brown
and brittle skeletons that were, nevertheless, quite attractive. I
nearly got a good shot of a restless Goldcrest. I had to settle for the
south view as it headed north.
Red Campion
|
Black Nightshade
|
Umbilifer
|
Goldcrest
|
|
|
|
|
I had a bit
more luck with a
shy Greenfinch sitting amid the bush branches. At least it was there,
as proof that the species is recovering from its recent disastrous
disease. As we trekked back along the beach, I took a few photos of an
Oystercatcher and one of the town of Ayr, well lit across Ayr Bay. Our
final capture of the day was one of the best, a female Stonechat in the
field behind the car park. As I sidled ever-nearer to it, it actually
took to the air and landed a few feet from me, allowing me to get some
really good pictures.
Greenfinch
|
Ayr
|
Oystercatcher
|
Female Stonechat
|
|
|
|
|
As the
northbound A77 was closed for re-surfacing, we had to travel home via
the A78. We stopped off at Irvine Harbour for tea and chocolate
eclairs. No photos were taken there – we had enough already.
As we
supped tea, Herring Gulls circled above our heads hoping to get some
eclair action – note a hope!
Pictures of the
week:
Teal
|
Pied Wagtail
|
|
|
Robin
|
Stonechat
|
|
|
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