|
Week
ending: 28th January: Aberlady
and Port
Seton
We headed for Aberlady this week following a vain hope that the cloud
might clear to allow the sunlight to illuminate our sightings. The cafe
in Dalkeith Morrisons was our first stop, for our usual breakfasts
(10/10: excellent, well prepared food, served within a few minutes by
friendly staff).
Our first impressions on
arrival at the Aberlady LNR car park (apart from our amazement that
there were actually spaces) was the unexpected strength of the wind -
not ideal for birds. The tide was fairly low and there were flocks of
Wigeon and Teal congregated on the Peffer Burn, just downstream from
the wooden footbridge. A Redshank was busy wading midstream while we
could see a flock of geese, probably Pink-footed Geese, spiralling over
Kilspindie golf course on the other side of the bay. Flying over us as
we crossed the wooden footbridge was one of many Herring Gulls,
obviously relishing the gusty conditions.
Below is a view of the
wooden footbridge looking back to the car park.
We had an uninspiring trek
to Marl Loch where we saw only three Mallards sheltering from the wind.
Beyond the loch we had a
bit more luck. Fieldfares
and Carrion Crows flew out of the areas of Sea
Buckthorn that surrounds a water treatment facility. Some
minutes later Curlew flew in…...
| Fieldfare |
Carrion Crow |
 |
 |
| Sea Buckthorn |
Curlew |
 |
 |
…. and
landed in the field between the reserve and Luffness Links golf course
….
….but
not for long though, since they were spooked by a young man in a hoodie
who thought it was ok to wander the reserve off the path, across the
field.
John spotted dark shapes in
the middle of the saltmarsh to the west of the path. Visibility was
poor due to the thick low cloud, but we both agreed at the time that
the shapes were either low bushes or boulders. However, I’m
now of the opinion that the shapes are actually Hebridean
Sheep used
to graze down the grasslands over the autumn and winter, as part of a
longterm grazing scheme to improve the grasslands for plants and
animals.
As we walked back past the
Marl Loch, a pair of Mallards flew in and landed on the loch with a
splash. Back at the bridge the tide was a bit higher but there were
still some birds still wading, such as Oystercatchers and Curlew. John
pointed out a nice pair of Teal paddling upstream from the bridge. We
had been keeping an eye out for a reported Little
Egret and, just before we had reached the end of
the bridge, the bird appeared behind the far bank of the burn.
It foraged in a small pool
for a bit before flying down to the edge of the burn.
Delighted with our eventual
success in photographing the Little Egret, we moved on to the other
side of Aberlady Bay to Kilspindie. Walking along the foreshore John
scanned the water’s edge with his trusty binoculars and
informed me that a few Teal were dabbling near the shore and that there
were several waders
on the shore.
A bit further along the
shoreline a pair of Bar-tailed Godwits were stabbing the wet sand with
their long, straight bills as they searched for invertebrates. There
were also Dunlin scurrying around them as they foraged for different,
smaller invertebrates.
Further along still was a
curved-billed Curlew with more Dunlins .
| Dunlin /
Curlew
/ Bar-tailed Godwit |
As the tide filled the bay
the birds were gradually edging up the shore in their search for food.
| Oystercatcher
/ Dunlin / Bar-tailed Godwit |
 |
I noticed there were birds
- Carrion Crows and Oystercatchers, on a sand pit about 200m
away near the centre of the bay.
Looking even
further, to the other side of the bay, there were what looked like 20 Pink-footed
Geese sitting on the beach.
We moved westwards around
the rocky shore and immediately came upon a Bar-tailed Godwit at
relatively close quarters. A Rock Pipit then appeared on the scene and
obliged us by posing on a rock just in front of where we were standing.
We sat on our stools for a few minutes to see what might turn up. We
weren’t disappointed because a large Curlew emerged from
behind a boulder and began probing the salt pools. An Oystercatcher
passed overhead and out into the bay.
| Curlew |
Rock Pipit |
 |
 |
| Curlew |
Oystercatcher |
 |
 |
Next a large Carrion Crow
descended onto a boulder to checkout seaweed growing there. In the
meantime the Godwit we’d just photographed spotted an
approaching dog and took flight, as did a few Oystercatchers. Returning
to the car John heard the sound of distant geese. They flew close to
the geese I’d just seen sitting on the beach across the bay.
They look like Pink-footed Geese but I’m not 100% sure.
| Carrion Crow |
Bar-tailed Godwit |
 |
 |
| Oystercatcher |
|
|
 |
We returned to the car and
drove to Port Seton to check out reports of the King Eider and Surf
Scoter that had been seen there in recent days. On arrival at the car
park overlooking Wrecked Craigs, the tide was still well out and
Eiders, Cormorants and Oystercatchers were active on and around the
most distant exposed rocks.
Although we could make out
that birds were in the water beyond the rocks, identification was
difficult due to the very choppy conditions. We decided to walk to the
harbour. Along the promenade we discovered many Redshanks and
Turnstones were sheltering in the rocks just east of the harbour. There
were a few drake Eiders there too and John spotted a Purple
Sandpiper among the Redshanks - great find.
| Redshank |
Turnstone |
 |
 |
| Eider |
Purple Sandpiper |
 |
 |
At
the harbour, a pair of Mute Swans were on the lookout for bread from
visitors. Herring Gulls and a Great Black-backed Gull were searching
for food scraps on fishing nets on the harbourside. When a fellow
birder claimed to have seen the
King
Eider landing in the waters just outside the harbour, I
scanned outside the harbour - but to no avail.
| Mute Swan |
Herring Gull |
 |
 |
| Great Black-backed
Gull |
Eider |
 |
 |
We returned to the car
after a final check that the King Eider wasn’t with the
Common Eiders off
Wrecked Craigs. It didn’t seem to be.
 |
Despite the overcast sky
and stiff breeze, it had been a fairly satisfying outing. My favourite
sightings were the Little Egret, the Purple Sandpiper and the Hebridean
Sheep. We had tea and chocolate cream eclairs on the leeward side of
the car. Hoping for ideal conditions next week when very mild weather
is predicted (but I’ll not mention the likelihood of rain).
Week ending:
21st January 2024: Linlithgow
Loch and Blackness
On Sunday the whole of the UK was waiting for the arrival of Storm
Isha. From mid-morning it would move in from the Atlantic, bringing
moderate weather at first but, by the evening, heavy rain and high
winds would prevail. I chose to visit Linlithgow Loch, a fairly
sheltered inland site where sufficient sightings would be possible. On
the way there, John and I popped into Bathgate Morrisons for breakfast
(10/10: excellent food and service). When we arrived in St Ninian car
park the rain was threatening so we set off without delay around the
west side of the Loch.
The light was very gloomy
but the birds were gathered around the edges of the water. Tufted
Ducks, Coots and Moorhens made it easy for me to photograph
them as they seemed to have little fear of the people walking on the
lochside paths. There had been reports of a Ring-necked
Duck but we didn’t see it with the Tufted
Ducks.
Mallards too were there in
good numbers. Also unafraid of the camera was a very accommodating
Robin that was perched on a pathside bush, literally a few centimetres
from us as we passed.
| Drake Mallard |
Female Mallard... |
 |
 |
|
Robin |
 |
 |
Of course there were many
Mute Swans. Four of them passed overhead as we reached the northwest
corner of the loch. Unfortunately it started to rain, but thankfully it
was light rain.
We encountered another
Robin that was sitting at the entrance of one of the houses that
overlooks the loch. A foraging Blackbird stood ahead of us on the path
and as I moved slowly towards it, a Grey Heron came into view, standing
at the water’s edge, a few metres from the path. We continued
along the north side of the loch and I noticed that the birds on the
water, Tufted Ducks and Goldeneyes, seemed to be less tolerant of
people, moving away from us as we passed. John spotted some distant
geese that were paddling across the loch. As we got nearer to them I
could see that they were Canada Geese. They had moved across to join a
white goose, probably an Emden
Goose or a leucistic Greylag,
and a few Mallards. There was still no sign of the Ring-billed Duck.
We stood directly across
the loch from the ruin of Linlithgow Palace, a significant building in
the history of Scotland. As can be seen, it is currently undergoing
renovation work.
We were pleased to see a Little
Grebe surfacing near us at the edge of the loch. Of course
when it saw us it dived and swam to the perceived safety of nearby
reeds. With the rain starting to fall a bit more heavily, we decided to
track back to the car. On the way I photographed a few Herring Gulls.
One immature Herring Gull was trying, unsuccessfully, to break open
what looked like a Freshwater Mussel, probably the
Duck Mussel.
| Little Grebe |
Herring Gull |
 |
 |
| 3rd Cycle Herring
Gull |
Duck Mussel |
 |
 |
We walked the lochside path
between the car park and the angling club jetty. When we were passing
some tall trees we heard what at first sounded like a Magpie with a
sore throat, but I wondered if it was the sound of a
Grey Squirrel. A quick scan up the tree trunk
confirmed my suspicion. I also got shots of a female Tufted Duck that
was paddling about the jetty. Also, three Little Grebes were fishing in
the same area.
| Grey Squirrel |
Wood Pigeon |
 |
 |
| Female Tufted Duck |
Little Grebe |
 |
 |
There were about a dozen
Jackdaws foraging on the short grass between the loch and car park. We
were, though, disappointed not to have seen any Rooks. We had been
unsuccessful in our search for the Ring-necked Duck but maybe it was on
the loch east of the palace.
We relocated to the Tesco
car park and crossed the main road in order to access the loch just
east of the Palace. From the access path adjacent to the chapel we saw
a Blackbird raking through leaf litter. John noticed a Dunnock
that was watching us from its perch on a bush. He also spotted a Chaffinch
just above the park gate. A big Carrion Crow didn’t flinch as
we passed it and continued foraging along the banks of the loch.
| Blackbird |
Dunnock |
 |
 |
| Chaffinch |
Carrion Crow |
 |
 |
Below is the view
of the east side of Linlithgow Palace as seen when we re-entered via
the path from the main road.
John and I scanned the loch
for the Ring-necked Duck. There were a few Tufties and Goldeneyes, but
once again, sadly, no Ring-necked Duck. A Cormorant flew past every now
and again. As we returned to the car I snapped a hungry Goldfinch that
was feeding in the reeds. From the path out to the street I managed
shots of a Great
Tit and a Chaffinch that were moving on the leafless
branches of surrounding trees. Back at the car we decided to finish the
trip at Blackness,
a small port that used to serve the Royal Burgh of Linlithgow.
| Female Tufted Duck |
Female Goldeneye |
 |
 |
| Cormorant |
Goldfinch |
 |
 |
| Great Tit |
Chaffinch |
 |
 |
We made the 10 minute drive
to Blackness and had a quick scan of the Forth estuary. At first there
weren’t birds showing, but, with patience, I captured images
of an Oystercatcher that flew in from the east. John then noticed a
young Rook
sitting on top of a telegraph pole. As we returned to the car due to
the worsening rain, a Common Gull was paddling in the water near the
pier and a Redshank flew in and landed on the shoreline. Our final
sightings were of a Cormorant that surfaced near a Herring Gull that
was bobbing up and down about 40m from the shore.
| Oystercatcher |
Juvenile Rook |
 |
 |
| Common Gull |
Redshank |
 |
 |
| Cormorant |
Herring Gull |
 |
 |
The wind was getting
stronger, as predicted. Storm Isha was knocking at the door. We had our
tea and strawberry tarts in the car rather than outside on our 3-legged
stools. The conditions had not been ideal for a nature-watching
mission, however we managed to see 26 species (none of which were the
RND) and bagged a few decent photos. My favourite pictures were the
Goldfinch, Grey Heron and young Herring Gull with the shellfish. Mild,
wet and windy weather is due to continue through next week. Hopefully
we’ll get some sunshine next time
Week ending: 14th
January 2024: Troon
The weather predictions for Sunday indicated that Central Scotland
would be cold but dry until late afternoon with sunny intervals, the
best of which would be in the west. I opted then for Troon, on the
North Ayrshire coast, which John and I last visited in late October
‘23. We were pleased to see blue sky and bright
sunshine when we arrived the the car park of Troon Morrisons for our
customary breakfasts (8/10: tasty enough but let down massively due to
cold beans and tepid bacon).
We drove across the road to
the North Shore Road car park which overlooks Barassie Beach. The tide
was low but rising and there was a bit of a breeze as can be seen below
by the rather choppy sea.
A few Mallards were
lounging by some rock pools close the the shore.
Other birds around the rock
pools included Oystercatchers, Redshanks and Turnstones. We next
investigated the bird sounds emanating from the bushes at the edge of
grassy areas close to the shore. A very accommodating Robin watched us
as we did so, but a female Hedge Sparrow was more wary. I also managed
a decent shot of a busy wee Blue Tit. However, we weren’t
able to photograph a Redwing and Collared Doves we also saw.
| Oystercatcher |
Redshank |
 |
 |
| Turnstone |
Robin |
 |
 |
| House Sparrow |
Blue Tit |
 |
 |
We drove towards Troon
Harbour and on to the sea-facing car park. First impressions were that
there were very few birds on the rocks in front of the car park. A
cold, stiff northerly wind was blowing across the rocks so we checked
the more sheltered southern end of the rocky shoreline. We were pleased
to discover a Curlew standing there and also a few Rock Pipits were
exploring the area. Oystercatchers flew in as well as Herring Gulls and
Black-headed Gulls.
| Curlew |
Rock Pipit |
 |
 |
| Oystercatcher |
Herring Gull |
 |
 |
| 1st Cycle Herring
Gull |
Black-headed Gull |
 |
 |
John spotted some Dunlins
scurrying around some rock pools near the Oystercatchers. I snapped a
pair of Shags that flew past, heading north. John noticed a commotion
some 200m out (too far for a decent picture), involving a large number
of gulls that seemed to be mobbing fishing Cormorants or Shags.
As John was discussing this with an inquisitive motorist, I
photographed a Starling that was watching us from a boundary fence. A
south-flying drake Eider sped past as we moved on to the short beach
just north of the car park.
As we approached the end of
the tall harbour wall, we came across more Dunlin, closer than the
last. Note there is also a Purple Sandpiper at the top and centre of
the picture.
I peered through the stiff
wind, studying the harbour wall where Shags usually perch. At first I
thought there were no Shags, but later inspection of my
photos they revealed a pair coorying into
the gaps between the large wall bricks. I was pleased to get an
opportunity to photograph a passing Cormorant which was possibly
returning from the fishing expedition mentioned above that interested
the mob of gulls. On returning to the car, one last look towards the
rocks produced pictures of a female Red-breasted
Merganser and a Rock Pipit.
| Shag |
Cormorant |
 |
 |
| Female
Red-breasted Merganser |
Rock Pipit |
 |
 |
We relocated to Titchfield
Road at the south end of the Ballast Bank. The road runs parallel to
the rocky shore and we usually check there each time we visit, as it
can be fairly productive in terms of sightings. On getting out of the
car I noticed straight away that there were a pair of Turnstones on the
short grass beside the road. They were soon scared off by dogs but I
watched where they went - onto the rocky shore - so I checked it out
and found a sizeable flock of Turnstones very close to the footpath. I
was delighted to see a Purple
Sandpiper in their midst, foraging in and around the small
pools.
We noticed a large bird
presence on the exposed rocks a good bit further along the shore.
Unfortunately the sunlight was behind the birds making identification
difficult. However, the images were made much brighter during
processing.
We walked along the
shoreside path, almost to the Titchfield Road car park, and I took
pictures of the various flocks gathered there. Later I identified them
(as mentioned above) as mainly Oystercatchers and Dunlin, with some Sanderlings ,
Golden
Plovers and Ringed Plovers.
 |
 |
| Golden Plover |
Herring Gull |
 |
 |
| Dunlin |
Ringed Plover |
 |
 |
In the gardens beyond the
car park John directed my attention to a group of well-lit Starlings
and also a Jackdaw and Carrion Crow. After these I was surprised to see
a Meadow
Pipit in the grass. We emerged from the gardens onto the main
promenade of Troon South Beach. A wee female Pied Wagtail popped onto
the tarred promenade and searched for scraps of food that had been
discarded by the day-trippers (and of which there were many). Nearby a
juvenile Herring Gull was tucking into good old seafood it had probably
pinched from another gull.
| Starling |
Jackdaw |
 |
 |
| Carrion Crow |
Meadow Pipit |
 |
 |
| Female Pied Wagtail |
1st Cycle Herring
Gull |
 |
 |
Looking further along the
shore we could see a huge pile of seaweed that stretched along the
beach for about 100m. We reached the seaweed pile and realised that it
was attracting lots of small waders including very unsettled
Sanderlings. Time and again a group of around 30 flew in…..
…landed
on the pile ….
….only
to take flight, circle out over the water and land again….
The Sanderlings joined
Turnstones and Dunlin on the seaweed. There were also Pied Wagtails on
the seaweed searching for invertebrates and Herring Gulls on the
seawall watching for chips.
| Sanderling |
Herring Gull |
 |
 |
| Pied Wagtail |
Female Pied Wagtail |
 |
 |
We had our warm teas and
strawberry tarts sheltered from the cold wind . We agreed that
it had been a decent outing - 27 species seen, not bad considering the
conditions. My favourites were the Purple Sandpiper, Sanderlings and
Meadow Pipit. Warmer weather is predicted for next week (hurrah), but
it will be dull and wet (boo) - but they often get it wrong.
Here’s hoping
Week
ending: 7th January 2024: Stevenston,
Saltcoats
and Irvine
Harbour
For the first time in over a month, the weather prediction was best in
the West. The weather for Stevenston was encouraging: early mist would
clear to leave blue, sunny skies with little chance of rain. So after a
very fine breakfast in Stevenston Morrisons (9/10: only the slightly
undercooked fried tomatoes prevented a perfect score), John and I drove
to Stevenston Point to start our exploration.
The Isle of Arran was shrouded in mist with only the peaks of Goat Fell
treated to the light of the Sun.
The blanket of mist stretched south, hiding the familiar view of Ailsa
Craig. Instead, we had a view of a passing ship.
It soon became obvious that Stevenston was in an oasis of light when
John noticed that the land to the east and north was also covered in
mist. I snapped a passing Herring Gull and John drew my attention to
what we thought was a Redshank on the large concrete slab off the north
side of the Point. It turned out that it was a Purple
Sandpiper. I then spotted a Redshank that was picking its way
across the rocky tip and also spied a distant pair of Eiders flying
north past the breakwater.
| Herring Gull |
Purple Sandpiper |
 |
 |
| Redshank |
Eider |
 |
 |
We moved to the parking area just before the main picnic spot, since
there were many birds feeding around that shore. We found a Curlew and
the usual noisy Oystercatchers as well as Black-headed and Common
Gulls. Carrion Crows were also very active. I also got a pretty shot of
a wee Ringed Plover on the wet sands.
| Curlew |
Oystercatcher |
 |
 |
| Common Gull |
Black-headed Gull |
 |
 |
| Carrion Crow |
Ringed Plover |
 |
 |
Reports of a Glaucous
Gull near Auchenharvie Loch drew us there, but the low winter
sun was right behind the roof and unfortunately silhouetted any gulls
gathered there. Instead we checked out the Loch and were delighted to
find that it was teeming with birds, most of which were Canada Geese.
The Geese were grazing on the short grass of the Auchenharvie golf
course, as was a Curlew. John pointed out a Grey Heron that was on the
island, and on the water a pair of Mallards paddled past.
| Canada Goose |
Curlew |
 |
 |
| Grey Heron |
Drake Mallard |
 |
 |
The female Mallard looked particularly fine in the golden winter light.
A few Goldeneyes, including a
juvenile, Tufted Ducks and Little
Grebes were diving in the blue waters of the Loch. I got very
close to one Little Grebe because with the Sun behind me I was
silhouetted. However, when it resurfaced with a small fish it turned
its back to the Sun, so obscuring its head and the fish. A proud cob
Mute Swan glided across the water with its wing feathers held like
sails. There was no sign of the Glaucous Gull on or around the Loch,
just the usual Herring Gulls.
| Drake Goldeneye |
Juvenile Goldeneye |
 |
 |
| Tufted Duck |
Little Grebe |
 |
 |
| Mute Swan |
Herring Gull |
 |
 |
As we left, a person appeared on the opposite side of the Loch and
began feeding the birds unfortunately disturbing the Canada Geese
causing them to escape to the safety of the Loch.
We moved to Saltcoats Harbour where we found that the tide was low and
there didn’t seem to be many birds around.
There was a pair of Feral Pigeons at the harbour’s edge. As I
snapped these I noticed that there were Dunlins
foraging among the exposed rocks at the edge of the harbour floor. We
ascended the stairs onto the walkway on the high sea wall which leads
to a viewing tower at the harbour mouth. From there I snapped a pair of
Rock Pipits that had flown onto the sea wall, and also a Herring Gull
resting on a post.
| Feral Pigeon |
Dunlin |
 |
 |
| Rock Pipit |
Herring Gull |
 |
 |
Looking back from the sea wall I photographed Cormorants that were
standing on a rocky crag, alongside some gulls and small waders.
We drove the short distance to the car park beyond the opposite side of
the harbour. I spotted a Common
Seal lying on top of rocks at the water’s edge.
From the viewing tower we could see that there were many small waders
feeding around the rocks. Closest to us was a Redshank and furthest
were a group of Shags standing on a large rock. John noticed a Curlew
poking around in the rocky surrounds of the neighbouring paddling
pools. A dog then appeared on the scene, putting up many of the waders,
including a Purple Sandpiper which landed conveniently to the side of
where we were standing. Likewise I captured images of Ringed Plovers.
| Common Seal |
Redshank |
 |
 |
| Shag |
Curlew |
 |
 |
| Purple Sandpiper |
Ringed Plover |
 |
 |
The commotion caused by the dog spread to a large flock of Dunlins and
Turnstones …..
….. which took flight and disappeared to the north.
We relocated 5 miles south to Irvine Harbour and immediately came
across a drake Red-breasted
Merganser diving in the River Irvine. We got excellent views
of it since it came within about 20m of the promenade. Across the river
a Curlew was moving along the water’s edge. Next, John
sighted a trio of Common Seals that were relaxing on a wooden float a
few hundred metres up the River Garnock. I then snapped a Mute Swan
paddling midstream, while John discovered a Grey Heron standing in the
water by the other side of the River Irvine.
I also got nice shots of the flypast of an Oystercatcher, which led my
eye to some Wigeon that were grazing on the top of the riverbank. I was
pleased to find a Greenshank
picking its way along the edge of the opposite side of the river, not
far from the Heron. At this point a helpful passer-by informed us that
there was an Otter
diving a little further upstream. We had no bother finding it since it
had attracted an audience of people gathered at the harbour’s
edge.
| Oystercatcher |
Wigeon |
 |
 |
| Greenshank |
Otter |
 |
 |
We watched it making several successful dives for fish for
about 10 minutes before it moved into a shadowed area.
We headed back to the car for tea and strawberry tarts (well, John
couldn’t resist buying them because they made him think of
warm summer weather). It was agreed that it had been a very enjoyable
and productive trip - 28 species seen. My favourites were the Otter,
Seals, Greenshank and Purple Sandpiper. The weather was cold but colder
weather, maybe even snow, is predicted for next week. Let’s
hope it’s sunny.
Highlights
- January 2024
We present this month’s gallery of my
favourite pictures I’ve taken during January 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
ON THE GROUND
PORTRAIT
ON THE WATER
SMALL BIRDS
MISCELLANEOUS
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