Archive December 2024


Archive - December 2024

Week ending: 29th December: Strathclyde Country Park, Hogganfield Park LNR, Doonfoot and Troon

In a week of mild and dull, sometimes misty weather, there were only a few sunny episodes for a relaxing walk with the camera.

Tuesday 24th, AM: Strathclyde Country Park

I spent an hour at Strathclyde Park and caught a few minutes of sunny weather. I parked at the Beach Car Park where I watched Mallards parade past me as they moved from the sandy beach, across the short grass to the cars where children were giving out bread.

Amongst the Mallards there was a hybrid, probably a Mallard X Muscovy duck , which is considerably larger than the pure Mallard. A family of Mute Swans was also getting stuck into the bread, much to the delight of the excited children hiding behind their granny. Alone by the lochside stood a rather lonely-looking Greylag Goose that had somehow become detached from its flock. My stroll around the lochside path lasted only a few minutes before it rained, and produced a shot of a drake Goosander that was diving for fish.

Mallard X Muscovy Hybrid	Mute Swan

Greylag Goose	Drake Goosander

Below is a view of the Beach car park, taken from the opposite side of the loch.

Tuesday 24th, PM: Hogganfield Park LNR.

In the afternoon, I followed that short walk with a circuit of the loch at Hogganfield Park in the east side of Glasgow. The Sun was showing for longer spells, and I got off to a fine start with a picture of a pair of Cormorants on a perch in the middle of the loch. They were drying their feathers following a spell of diving for fish.

Also diving were Tufted Ducks, but not for fish; they eat small aquatic invertebrates and plants.

There were a couple of drakes still in brown-shaded eclipse plumage and others in their familiar black and white plumage. Big, bold Mute Swans dominated the area and Herring Gulls (and Lesser Black-backed Gulls) were dominating the air. I came across a pair of courting Mute Swans that were “mirroring” each other’s repeated dipping of their heads into the water. There were also lots of Coots on and around the edges of the loch.

Tufted Duck in Eclipse plumage	Tufted Duck

Mute Swan...	1st Cycle Herring Gull

	Coot

I saw only a few Goldeneyes diving and dodging the other birds, risking the odd nip from their bills. Around the edges of the loch Magpies, Feral Pigeons, big Whooper Swans and a few Pied Wagtails were all ever-watchful for feeding opportunities.

Drake Goldeneye	Female Goldeneye

Magpie	Feral Pigeon

Whooper Swan	Pied Wagtail

Sunday 29th December: Doonfoot, Troon.

The weather predicted for Central Scotland for Sunday was fairly bleak: strong winds, cloudy and showery but mild for the time of year. There was though just a chance that the southern end of the Ayrshire coast would catch some sunshine - so I headed for Doonfoot, Ayr. The tide would be high but I decided to give it a bash.

Cloud	Rain	Tides

Courtesy of Open Street Map and BBC Tides

There was a rainbow in the sky over Ayr when I arrived at the car park by the footbridge at the mouth of the River Doon (but I was to be lucky since I didn’t experience any wet weather during the visit). On the Doon, birds were battling really gusty conditions to get food. Mallards were paddling furiously to get across the water and there were Wigeons and Herring Gulls at the river mouth, along with the usual Redshanks.

	Mallard

Wigeon	Redshank

Four Redshanks flew in over a young Herring Gull onto the flooded pond which is adjacent to car park. Jackdaws were splashing about in the river as if to mock the wild winds.

1st Cycle Herring Gull	Redshank

Jackdaw...

The edges of the pond were more sheltered from the gale and Redshanks and Teal were feeding there. A wee Meadow Pipit turned up just below the grassy bank where I was standing as I snapped the Teal. I also got some nice flight shots of incoming Teal that were also attracted to the pond.

Redshank	Meadow Pipit

Teal...

The Teal flew very close to me as they darted towards the shelter from the gusty wind and a better place to feed.

Redshanks too were gathering at the more sheltered areas at the mouth of the Doon.

At the other side of the river, very large numbers of Mute Swans were assembled on the heaving waters near a large pile of grounded seaweed.

There were tens of Herring Gulls feeding noisily on the seaweed pile.

Occasionally something would spook the gulls, sending them into the air…..

…. although they soon descended back down onto the seaweed to continue feeding.

Carrion Crows were foraging amid the chaos. There were young Herring Gulls and a few Common Gulls hovering over the pile waiting to land on any bare patch of seaweed. Some Herring Gulls were waiting on the water for the invertebrates to float to them.

Carrion Crow	Common Gull

1st Cycle Herring Gull	Herring Gull

A Great Black-backed Gull had as much space as it wanted, while huge numbers of Starlings were foraging nearer the seawall unbothered by the gulls - probably because the seaweed there had dried out. At the watery edges of the pile, pelted by the waves whipped up by the frequent gusts of wind, Turnstones were struggling to make their way across the drier edges as they searched for invertebrates. Satisfied with my collection of sightings, I returned to the car. My final photo at Doonfoot was of Greenan Castle, which is about half a mile south of the mouth of the River Doon.

Great Black-backed Gull	Starling

Turnstone	Greenan Castle

I popped into Troon on my way home to see how the birds there were coping with the high winds and violent waves such as those at the south end of the Ballast Bank.

It was there I found some more Turnstones in the relatively sheltered hollows of the saltmarsh close to the Ballast Bank. A Greenfinch found it was easier to sit on the concrete verges on the promenade rather than on a high tree. Further along the path a Herring Gull had a similar idea but the verge it was standing on was by the car park with the possibility of tasty titbits. My final shot of the trip was of a group of passing Eiders flying southward.

Turnstone	Greenfinch

Herring Gull	Eider

It was a quiet week in terms of sightings, although I managed to photograph 26 species. My favourites being the mallard flight shots, whooper swans, moscovy X mallard hybrid and greenfinch. Also the spectacles of the bird action around the seaweed pile at Doonfoot wa breathtaking at times.

Week ending: 22nd December: Hogganfield Park, Musselburgh

This week included Scotland’s shortest day - the Winter Solstice , so, as far as photographic excursions were concerned, the window of opportunity was a few hours around midday. My walks were hampered also by frequent rain showers and high winds. However, I did manage a fair number of sightings

18th December: Strathclyde Country Park, Motherwell

On Wednesday I had a wee walk in Strathclyde Country Park and I acquired some shots of a variety of geese. These were predominantly Greylags but a couple of Barnacle Geese were amongst the flock. I picked out a very light brown, possibly leucistic Greylag, and also domesticated variant. The was a pretty fungus, Sulphur Tuft, growing on a fallen and mossy tree along the wooded path from the road bridge and underpass below the M74.

Barnacle Goose	Greylag / Leucistic Greylag

Sulphur Tuft	Whooper Swan

20th December: Hogganfield Park, Glasgow

On Friday the weather picked up for a time and allowed a visit to Hogganfield Park nature reserve. Most of the bird action was, as usual, at the car park. The Black-headed Gulls wait anxiously on the fences for the next bread carrying individual which sets them into the air accompanied by a cacophony of screeching.

The Whooper Swan s, very welcome winter visitors, and the all-year-round residents, Mute Swans, also watch, ready to barge to the front of the queue and even climb out of the water onto the footpath in order to dominate the bread giveaway. The Feral Pigeons are left with the crumbs, of which there were many.

Whooper Swan	Mute Swan

Goosander	Feral Pigeon

There are no bread anxieties in Goldeneyes or Moorhens since their diets are pondlife (see the links). The Herring Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gulls were more concerned with getting a good wash…

Goldeneye	Moorhen

1st Cycle Herring Gull	3rd Cycle Lesser Black-backed Gull

…. and there’s nothing like a quick flight over the water to finally dry one’s plumage.

22nd December: Musselburgh

The weather forecast for Sunday at Musselburgh was fairly optimistic - occasional sunshine with strong gusts of wind. The tides though would be low throughout my visit - and since the birds were likely to be feeding on the seashore, this was not good news for prospective sightings of birds at the Old and New Scrapes (Musselburgh Lagoons ).

Clouds	Rain	Tides

Courtesy of Open Street Map and BBC Tides

I started at the mouth of the River Esk, parking at our usual place near the Cadet Hall. The light was poor since there was a thick band of cloud obscuring the sunlight. There were tens of Wigeon lining the opposite edge of the river. On my side there were a few foraging Carrion Crows, Oystercatchers and Redshanks busy on the exposed sands and shallows.

Wigeon	Juvenile Carrion Crow

Oystercatcher	Redshank

There were a few female Goldeneyes diving midstream just as the sun broke through the clouds, instantly colouring what was a rather drab panorama. I began seeing Turnstones scampering over and between the pebbly shore. Common Gulls and Herring Gulls were very actively patrolling the whole estuary mouth in their search for food.

Female Goldeneye	Turnstone

Common Gull /1st Cycle Herring Gull...

	2nd Cycle Herring Gull

I followed the path out of the estuary and east along the seawall. The wind was strong and caused the waters of the Firth of Forth to become very choppy indeed. It seemed very unlikely that it would be productive to spend a prolonged time scanning the sea so I decided to visit the New Scrapes which are adjacent to the Esk mouth. Below is the fine view of the east side of Edinburgh, with Arthur’s Seat dominating the scene.

This view over the scrapes, taken from the same hide, zooms in on Calton Hill in the centre of Edinburgh.

Suddenly a huge flock of Wigeon invaded the whole area …

… eventually coming to rest on the waters of the New Scrapes. Among the incoming flock was a solitary female Shelduck, that paused for a few minutes before moving to the furthest point on the reserve. I snapped a pair of Mallards, that were just opposite the second hide I visited, as they soaked up the sunlight. Near them in the water was a lovely pair of Mute Swans feeding in the now blue waters of the Scrapes.

Wigeon...

Female Shelduck...

Mallard	Mute Swan

The view below shows a Mute Swan surrounded by Wigeons, and also shows the first hide mentioned above.

Below shows the snow-topped hills of South Fife as viewed from the New Scrapes.

Pleased with the Wigeon show, I decided to return to the car and drive to Levenhall Links to visit the Old Scrapes. On alighting from the car there was a Buzzard passing low overhead which I took great delight in photographing. I was just as pleased to find a Long-tailed Duck diving 50m off the sea wall as I made my way to the Old Scrapes. Also I snapped a Woodpigeon on a grass verge and a Black-headed Gull that passed low over the water near the seawall.

Common Buzzard	Long-tailed Duck

Wood Pigeon	Black-headed Gull

As expected, the Old Scrapes were rather devoid of large numbers of birds - but there were birds, notably about 20 Lapwings standing in the middle of the near scrape.

The zoom of my Coolpix camera picked out 5 of the Lapwings, which were wonderfully lit by the low and amber winter sunshine, as were a group of 5 Canada Geese that were standing to the right of the Lapwings. As I photographed these I was aware of a Blackbird singing in the bushes outside the hide. I carefully manoeuvred myself in the hide until I had a clear view of the Blackbird that enabled me to get a sneaky snap. At the back-right corner of the left-most hide there were 2 Redshanks and 5 Teal (4 drakes and a female). When I processed the pictures I noticed that there was a Dunlin with those birds.

Lapwing	Canada Goose

Blackbird	Teal...

	Dunlin

The wide-angle view shows small Dunlin moving between the Redshanks and Teal.

I have accumulated records of 28 species throughout the week, my personal favourites being the Barnacle Geese at Strathclyde Park, the Whooper Swans at Hogganfield and the Buzzard, Longtailed Ducks and Wigeon flock at Musselburgh. Milder weather is being predicted for next week but it is to be very cloudy and intermittently wet. Surely Santa will insist on some sunshine, especially on Tuesday night and Wednesday?

Week ending: 15th December : Heritage Park EK, RSPB Barons Haugh

This week saw but a few sunny periods, with cloud, rain and high winds discouraging my walking habit. However I did manage a couple of visits which produced some positive photographic results.

9th December: James Hamilton Heritage Park, East Kilbride

On arrival at the small but picturesque James Hamilton Heritage Park in East Kilbride the rain had stopped and clouds were thinning and bits of blue sky were beginning to appear. A female Lesser Scaup had been reported at the loch and I was hoping that it would not be too far out in such poor light.

I quickly located a group of Tufted Ducks and expected to find the Scaup amongst them, and it was. However, it was as I’d feared, about 40m away from the side of the loch near the Activity Centre. The main features that distinguish the female Lesser Scaup from the female Tufted Duck are: the Scaup is bigger, has a large white patch above its bill and has no head tuft. I was pleasantly surprised when the Scaup paddled toward me and an elderly lady birdwatcher, who was also keen to see it. At its closest, it was a mere 10m away, enabling me to get very reasonable pictures. Flushed with success I snapped a Mallard and a line of Herring and Blackheaded Gulls by the island and set off on a circuit of the loch.

Tufted Duck	Female Lesser Scaup...


Mallard	Black-headed Gull / Herring Gull

The lady birdwatcher (an impressive 88 y.o.), who is a regular visitor at the park, advised me to look out for a Buzzard which she had observed on a particular perch on a large tree in an adjacent field. Also she had seen a few Common Snipethat were by reeds in the smal waterfowl reserve (shown below) at west end of the main loch.

The Buzzard wasn’t on the tree when I passed, but since I planned to do a second circuit of the loch after lunch, I thought I might see it then. I did though find the Snipe and managed reasonable record shot. I also photographed some Cotoneaster, a member of the Rose family that produces lovely red berries. Diving in the main loch waters near the reserve was a Cormorant. I watched to see if it would come up with a fish - sadly it did not.

Common Snipe	Cotoneaster

Cormorant...

Below is the view to the north across the loch towards Mains Castle , built in the 15th century on the site once occupied by the earlier Comyn Castle and even earlier Kilbride Castle.

I completed my first circuit of the loch with pictures of a family of Mute Swans, a Greylag Goose and some Mallards.

Mute Swan	Juvenile Mute Swan

Greylag Goose	Female Mallard

After lunch I started my second circuit of the loch with photos of a fungus, possibly Hazel Bracket, Skeletocutis nivea, that I found on a young fallen tree trunk on the grass between the main road and the loch.

After photographing the fungus I headed towards the big tree where the lady assured me was a favourite stance of a Buzzard. On the way I passed a rather bold Magpie on its favourite perch on a red sign, a Woodpigeon on its lofty perch and a watchful Lesser Black-backed Gull. At the west end of the park I located the big tree and, using my Nikon Coolpix P950 camera on full zoom, eventually spotted the Buzzard partially hidden behind branches.

Hazel Bracket	Magpie

Wood Pigeon	Lesser Black-backed Gull

	Common Buzzard

Very pleased with my collection of shots, I decided to check at Cathkin Marsh, a nearby Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve, for Crossbills that had been seen there recently. Unfortunately the reserve, being in a higher, more open location, was coated in ice, effectively rendering my visit as fruitless, that is until I encountered a wee friendly Robin just as I left the reserve.

	Robin

12th December: RSPB Barons Haugh

Bad weather, Christmas shopping and babysitting duties meant my next outing was not until Saturday, when I made a brief visit to RSPB Barons Haugh in Motherwell. Below is the somewhat grim view of the Haugh that greeted me as I walked downhill towards the hides.

I snapped a Blackbird that was nibbling the last haw berries from a Hawthorn bush. At the Marsh Hide most of the action was on the path that leads into the hide. Somebody had scattered seeds and nuts on the gravel path, much to the delight of several Grey Squirrels and a very handsome Jay.

Blackbird	Grey Squirrel

Jay...

Also enjoying the free lunch were a Magpie, Great and Coal Tits and several Chaffinches.

Magpie	Great Tit

Coal Tit	Chaffinch

Nuthatches joined the party before I turned to looking out of the front of the hide where I photographed a lone drake Wigeon and some distant Mute Swans. Birders in the hide took great delight in informing me that I’d just missed the visit of a Kingfisher, a Little Egret and passing Peregrine Falcon. But I’ve seen my fair share of those birds this year so I wasn’t particularly sad to miss them, especially when I had the shots above.

Nuthatch...

Wigeon	Juvenile Mute Swan

I relocated to the Causeway Hide where the clouds were thickening and the light was very dim. However it didn’t stop me enjoying views of feeding Teal, a distant Grey Heron and a Carrion Crow hopping about the muddy areas of the Haugh. As I left the hide, a beautiful Robin was waiting on the mossy trunk of a large tree. And on the trees in between the field outside the hid there were Redwings on its highest branches ….

Drake Teal	Female Teal

Grey Heron	Carrion Crow

Robin	Redwing

….. the first I’d seen since the spring, and not the last I’ll see during the winter and next spring

Sunday was a complete washout. Despite the poor weather and domestic pressures I am satisfied with my collection of sightings. My favourites are the female Lesser Scaup and Commo Snipe at Heritage Park and the Jay and Nuthatch at Barons Haugh …. and I always enjoy seeing Robins. I’m afraid next week’s weather looks as if it will be much as it was this week. However things turned out not too bad, so more of the same will suffice.

Week ending: 8th December: Strathclyde Country Park, Hogganfield Park LNR, Ardmore Point, Victotria Park.

It has been another dull, dank, but mild week of weather. I got out whenever the weather allowed, primarily to get my steps up, but always accompanied by a camera to snap any interesting sights on the way.

2nd-6th December: Strathclyde Country Park

I visited Strathclyde Country Park several times throughout the week but only managed a handful of pictures. At the Beach Car Park some of the many resident Greylag Geese were grazing beyond the children’s play area.

A common sight, which is always eye catching, is a prowling Grey Heron. The one shown below was, unusually, on the grass just before the trees at the north end of the park, only a mere 10m from the footpath. At car park 4, a lovely Mute Swan caught the low, orange, winter sunlight during a rare brief sunny period. You’re never far from a Cormorant at Strathclyde Loch. They regularly hunt fish in groups of over 50 and afterwards they perch on the fallen trees at the mouth of the South Calder River. Occasionally one sees Woodpigeons flying down from the trees to peck at the short grass looking for insects, seeds, berries and the like. It is a common belief that Grey Squirrels hibernate. It turns out they don’t. Instead they rely on a steady supply of food from their underground stores.

Grey Heron	Mute Swan

Juvenile Cormorant...

Wood Pigeon	Grey Squirrel

2nd December: Hogganfield Park LNR

I visited Hogganfield Park on Wednesday and was delighted that the expected arrival of Whooper Swans had happened. They spend the summer in Iceland but winter in Scotland. I counted four adults and four cygnets looking a bit unsettled, like newcomers often do. A circuit of the park turned up a Grey Heron hiding in the reeds at the wee pond to the east of the main loch. Also in that area I encountered a Grey Squirrel that rushed across the path before scurrying halfway up a tree, pausing for quick shot before vanishing into the canopy.

Whooper Swan...

Grey Heron	Grey Squirrel

I found four fungi on my circuit: Smoky Bracket, a very variable small-pored fungus, Hoof Fungus , a persistent tough polypore, a half-eaten Birch Polypore and the aptly named Jelly Ear fungus.

Smokey Bracket	Hoof Fungus

Birch Polypore	Jelly Ear

8th December AM: Ardmore Point

In the wake of Storm Darragh, the weather forecast for Sunday was promising for West Central Scotland: relatively mild, with dry sunny spells with some cloud. That was just the weather I prefer for visiting Ardmore Point. The tide was to be very low but I figured that the nice sunshine would encourage the appearance of lots of birds.

Cloud	Rain	Tide

Courtesy of Open Street Map and BBC Tides

As can be seen in the picture below (and in other panorama shots to follow) the skies are mainly blue and the land is well lit. However the foreground is not well lit. That was because the one big cloud in the sky was practically stationary and parked over the Sun. It didn’t shift the whole time I was there.

My circuit around the peninsula produced relatively few sightings anyway. They began with yet another Grey Heron, followed by distant Carrion Crows at the water’s edge. The only flowers spotted were ones that bloom throughout the year, the very numerous Gorse bushes. The only flypast I witnessed was a Shag flying low over the cloud-shaded water.

Grey Heron	Carrion Crow

Gorse	Shag

Below is the view across the Firth of Clyde towards Helensburgh. Note the bright conditions there.

I was pleased to see a group of male and female Wigeons dabbling along the shallow edges of the shore. Sadly though, my walk along the edge of the North Bay was fruitless and I only got a photo opportunity in the fields just before the car park - a single Oystercatcher that was probing the grass for invertebrates using its long dagger-like beak. My penultimate shot at Ardmore was of a distant Buzzard circling above the middle of the peninsula.

Wigeon...

Oystercatcher	Common Buzzard

The view north shown below shows the sunlit snow-covered peaks on the hills between Helensburgh and Loch Lomond.

8th December PM: Victoria Park, Glasgow

Very disappointed with the low turnout of birds at Ardmore, I decided to cut my losses and move to another, hopefully brighter, site. Luckily I read of a Ring-necked Duck that was seen the previous day in Victoria Park, Glasgow . Since that was on my way home I decided to pop in to see if it was still there and to get much-needed photographs of some of the other birds. After parking at the west end of the park, a Blackbird and also a Wood Pigeon were feeding when I passed through the park gates. I’m pleased to report that the park was bathed in sunshine but there were clouds uncomfortablly near the Sun so I quickened my pace as I headed the couple of hundred metres to the main pond at the opposite end of the park. On arrival I snapped a couple of Mallards that were beautifully lit by the orange sunlight of the near-setting sun.

Blackbird	Wood Pigeon

Female Mallard	Drake Mallard

The pond is about 80m long and contains a very healthy number of various species of birds. I scanned the pond for Tufted Ducks, as the Ring-necked Duck was liable to be with these.

The expected common pond birds were very active in all areas of the pond, such as Moorhens and Coots, but there were fewer Mute Swans than I expected. The few I saw were gliding across the water making a very pretty picture. I happened to pass a young lad just as he threw a handful of birdseed onto the path, after which a sizeable flock of Feral Pigeons descended from the trees onto the path.

Moorhen	Common Coot

Mute Swan	Feral Pigeon

Eventually I came upon a small number of Tufted Ducks diving for invertebrates around the centre of the pond. I walked around the pond several times and came to the unfortunate conclusion that it wasn’t there (that was confirmed by other visitors later on social media). I even tried the small pond just north of the main pond but it had only Mallards.

Tufted Duck...

Female Tufted Duck	Mallard

Below is a view of the main pond as seen from the small pond.

I headed back to the car and photographed more birds on the way, including perching Moorhen, Coot and Magpies. A lovely pair of Mute Swans swam under the footbridge as I passed. A big Carrion Crow was surveying the site from its perch high in the branches of a tall tree. My final pic of the week was of the restored four-dial miniature lamp post clock, that was donated by William Gordon Oswald in 1888. If you look carefully you’ll spot the pair of Mallards flying high above the clock.

Moorhen	Common Coot

Magpie	Mute Swan

Carrion Crow

It had been a pretty run-of-the-mill sort of week, with plenty of run-of-the-mill, but often pleasing sightings. However my stand-out favourites have to be the Whooper Swans and the fungi I photographed at Hogganfield. The weather next week is to be mainly dry but will be cold and foggy across Central Scotland - not good news - but one never knows, they could be wrong

Week ending: 1st December: Strathclyde Park, RSPB Loch Leven, Troon

In what turned out to be a week of cold and sometimes wet weather I was still able to get out with my cameras to a nice variety of locations to photograph whatever popped up and fired my interest.

November 25-29: Strathclyde Country Park

Reading in social media that there was a newly-arrived Ring-billed Gull at Strathclyde Country Park, I made several visits there throughout the week. Of course, I made many other interesting sightings during my search for the ring-billed gull, such as the very active and plentiful Greylag Geese that now seem to be permanent fixtures at the park. There were also several Goosanders fishing the loch, usually seen diving well away from the lochside, but occasionall they venture close to scramble for bread chucked to the ducks by walkers. I also came across the Grey Wagtail that I discovered last week and also, at the mouth of the South Calder, there was a young Cormorant drying its wings during a rare sunny interval.

Greylag Goose	Drake Goosander

Grey Wagtail	Cormorant

I scanned the loch for the Ring-billed Gull from the south beach car park where more greylags were grazing next to the children’s play park.

It was a sunny spell when I photographed the beautiful autumn scene from the car park.

Suddenly, Carrion Crows emerged from the trees as they escorted a Buzzard from the area. A young Mute Swan toddled over to me, probably expecting bread. The east side of the island shown above is where I snapped a Little Egret that was foraging at the water’s edge. Also, on one of my walking routes through the park I spied a trio of Cormorants that were perched on a fallen tree in the middle of the River Clyde, near the road bridge that connects Motherwell and Hamilton.

Carrion Crow / Buzzard	Juvenile Mute Swan

Little Egret	Juvenile Cormorant

There are a LOT of gulls in Strathclyde Country Park and I think I looked at every one of them before, after four visits, I finally found the Ring-billed Gull - only about 30m from the lochside beside car park 2. I had met a chap on the previous day, who had driven up from Birmingham especially to see that gull, only to be disappointed. The irony was that, when I spoke to him, he was at the same spot as I saw it exactly 24h later.

Thursday, 28th November: RSPB Loch Leven

There were sub-zero temperatures predicted for Thursday with the brightest skies to be in the east. So I decided that it was time to revisit RSPB Loch Leven in Fife. Our last visit here was October 2023. Things were looking bright as I set off around the reserve, as can be seen from the view at the underpass below the main road.

However, I should have realised that the ponds and waterways would be frozen - indeed the hide windows were completely iced up. So it would be a very quick visit since the birds would not tolerate the icy conditions.

The first hide was ok in that it had a bird feeder and there were birds feeding there: Chaffinches, Goldfinches, Greenfinches , Coal Tits and Blue Tits. But those were the only birdsin the reserve so I beat a hasty retreat back home, scolding myself for not realising that water birds need the water in liquid state.

Male Chaffinch	Female Chaffinch

Goldfinch	Coal Tit

Greenfinch	Greenfinch / Chaffinch / Blue Tit

Sunday 1st December: Troon

Luckily the weather for Sunday was predicted to be mild and dry with sunny intervals in the west. I therefore headed to sunny Troon on the Ayrshire coast. Once again John was unable to join me on our usual Sunday jaunt.

Cloud	Rain	Tides

Courtesy of Open Street Map and BBC Tides

At the Harbour car park at the north end of the Ballast Bank, I alighted from the car and immediately realised that I would need my woolly hat, scarf and gloves since the wind was, let’s say, bracing, as indicated by the birds with beaks underwings in the flock of Oystercatchers and Redshanks that were on the rocks in front of the car park.

Oystercatcher / Redshank

I walked along the wee beach to right of the car park and immediately snapped a Starling that was rummaging in rubbish on the foreshore. As the sunlight broke through the clouds some of the Oystercatchers perked up and flew off and I inadvertently spooked a Curlew from its resting place.

Starling	Oystercatcher

Curlew...

At the end of the sandy shore I observed the frequent movements of the Shags to and from their perches on the tall harbour walls. The water was very choppy with a large swell but I was surprised by the brief appearances of a couple of Common Seals that were diving a mere 20 m from where I was standing. They were difficult to photograph since it was impossible to predict where and when they would surface and when they did, it was only for a couple of seconds. However I did manage a few decent shots.

Shag...

Common Seal...

Satisfied that I’d seen the best of what the sandy beach had to offer, I returned back to the car. On the rocks, the brighter conditions had awakened more birds such as the Oystercatchers. There was a Meadow Pipit on the grassy areas of the shore, as overhead, a big Herring Gull was calling loudly. On the island, a young Redshank climbed onto the top of a boulder and started to preen. As I was photographing it, I noticed a couple of Purple Sandpipers scampering around it. A few groups of Eider duck flew low over the water just beyond the island.

Oystercatcher	Meadow Pipit

Herring Gull	Redshank

Purple Sandpiper	Eider Duck

I relocated to the other side of Ballast Bank where I found more Oystercatchers and Redshanks lining the rocks.

As I walked along the foreshore surveying the birds, I was initially irritated by the actions of two men who were disturbing the birds when they gathered salt water in large plastic water bottles (later one of them told me they were gathering sea water for their aquaria).

Although the poor birds were upset, the aquarists actually aided my search for birds. I was pleased to find a small line of Purple Sandpipers among the flushed Oystercatchers.

Also in the aerial mix were a large number of Ringed Plovers ….

…and a solitary Curlew.

Ringed Plover	Purple Sandpiper

Ringed Plover / Purple Sandpiper	Curlew

My last stop was Titchwell Road car park . The dramatic view across the Firth of Clyde towards the Isle of Arran revealed a band of showers coming towards Troon.

On the shore at the car park there were the usual Starlings and Herring Gulls but excited Turnstones flew in with probably the same Ringed Plovers and Purple Sandpipers I’d been watching earlier.

Starling	Herring Gull

Turnstone	Ringed Plover / Purple Sandpiper

The picture below shows the view over the wall looking towards Troon beach. Two kite-surfers were taking advantage of the windy weather and were fairly shifting across the surf.

A wee walk along the prom beyond the north of the car park revealed yet another Curlew and also a young Herring Gull with the remains of a crab shell. And my final shot of this week was of feisty wee Rock Pipit that was foraging on the rocks just below the path. After that, the rain which had been moving across the Firth finally reached Troon and raindrops started appearing on my windscreen. I drove home very satisfied with my day in Troon.

Curlew	1st Cycle Herring Gull

Rock Pipit...

It was an enjoyable week during which I covered a fair bit of Central Scotland and bagged quite a few shots. My favourites were the Ring-billed Gull, Common Seal and I always like seeing Cormorants, Shags and Purple Sandpipers. Next week is to be changeable also, so let’s hope I can negotiate the conditions again and get to interesting places where there are interesting sightings to be made.

Highlights - December 2024

We present this month’s gallery of my favourite pictures I’ve taken during December 2024. They are not listed in the order they have been taken, but according to a series of themes. I’ve kept commentary to a minimum, preferring to let each picture talk for itself.

WINGS