Week ending: 26th January: RSPB Baron’s Haugh, Motherwell
In a week of stormy weather, particularly Storm Éowyn, I was lucky that Wednesday morning was
relatively bright and calm and I was able to visit RSPB Baron’s Haugh.
Wednesday 22nd January: RSPB Baron’s Haugh
I got off to a great start with a quick shot of a Robin by the path leading out of the car park. As
I walked further along the path I caught a glimpse of a Roe Buck that was partially hidden by
leafless Hawthorn bushes. I calmly took a quick snap but as I took the shot, a lone jogger
overtook me and disturbed the deer. It fled across the path, traversing long grass …
…… and disappeared into the woods.
After that excitement I encountered a Grey Squirrel on the path that leads into the Marsh
hide. It descended from high in the branches of a tree down onto the path where there were still a
few nuts that had been scattered by an earlier birder. Of course, the nuts had attracted some
common birds such as a Blue Tit, Robin….
…. Chaffinch, Carrion Crow and Dunnock. I was informed that a Jay sometimes visits the
path, but it requires the nuts to be whole and plentiful, not the paltry scraps that the smaller birds
were feasting on.
The view of the Scrapes from inside the Marsh hide revealed that the most plentiful birds were
Wigeon.
The marsh to the left of the hide in which, usually, a Kingfisher, and sometimes, a Water Rail can
be found, seemed to be devoid of those birds.
The water level on the Scrapes was too high for waders but was perfect for ducks, particularly a
fair number of Wigeon and a couple of Gadwalls and …
… Mallards, like this female that made a big splash:
In the water right in front of the hide, there were Moorhen and Coots, and, to the right, a small
group of Teal were dabbling undisturbed. I was just about to leave the hide when a newly-arrived
birder announced that he’d seen a Kingfisher land on a post well to the left of the hide.
I found it easily and, by luck, just at the time to watch it consuming a small fish
When I did leave the Marsh hide, I passed a female Blackbird on the path, and a Jay watching
from its perch high in the trees - it was probably checking if there were any full-sized nuts. I was
heading to the Causeway hide and on the way I spotted a Song Thrush perched atop a tall
thin hedgerow tree between fields. Also, Woodpigeons were busy grazing in one of the fields.
| Female Blackbird |
Jay |
 |
 |
| Song Thrush |
Wood Pigeon |
 |
 |
Below is the view of the Haugh looking right, towards the site where the Phoenix hide once stood
before it, and the bund on which it was standing, were removed.
Below is the view looking out from the front of the hide.
I was pleased to see a Red Fox on the icy haugh, no doubt hoping to catch one of the
many birds watching it from afar. The birds were well-aware of the risk and easily evaded the fox.
A fellow birder spotted a female Roe Deer that was foraging just to the right of the former site of
the Phoenix hide before it wandered out of sight towards the River Clyde.
I next turned my attention to the birds. 50m in front of the hide were Lapwings, Teal and
Mallards. As I was photographing a Moorhen I was surprised to see a Redshank, a bird which,
although very common at coastal sites, is a bit of a rarity at Baron’s Haugh. A Mute Swan was my
final shot at the Causeway hide before I trekked my way back up the brae to the car park. On my
way I snapped a Blue Tit just as the path passed through the “gap in the hedges”.
| Lapwing |
Mallard |
 |
 |
| Moorhen |
Redshank |
 |
 |
| Mute Swan |
Blue Tit |
 |
 |
But I wasn’t quite finished. When the call of a Great Spotted Woodpecker drew my eyes
toward a distant treetop I got a nice record shot of the bird. And just before the car park I
managed a shot of a Magpie which, for once, didn’t fly off when I raised my camera
| Great Spotted Woodpecker |
Magpie |
 |
 |
I was very pleased with my visit to Baron’s Haugh which produced 24 species photographed ,
which included 3 mammals. My favourites were the roe deer, Red Fox , Grey Squirrel, Kingfisher
and Jay. Hopefully I’ll manage more visits this week, as the weather forecast is fairly optimistic
Week ending: 19th January : Strathclyde Country Park, Hogganfield Park LNR and RSP
Loch Leven
The weather this week was generally cold, dry and dull. Wednesday and Thursday were the
exceptions - I was treated to a bit of sunshine on my walks with my cameras.
Wednesday and Thursday, 15th January: Hogganfield Park LNR, Glasgow.
Blue, cloudless skies and bright sunshine provided excellent conditions for photography. My first
shot was of a Feral Pigeon swooping down on some freshly thrown seed.
 |
An adult and an immature Black-headed Gull watched me as I approached, waiting, maybe, to
see if I had seed for them. They were to be disappointed since, as a rule, I don’t normally feed
wild birds. Nearby a Carrion Crow was foraging in the short grass. On the loch the swans made a
pretty picture. Pairs of Whooper Swans and Mute Swans were looking frisky.
| Black-headed Gull |
Carrion Crow |
 |
 |
| Whooper Swan |
Mute Swan |
 |
 |
A few Goldeneyes were taking a bit of a risk by diving below the swans - much to their
annoyance. On the bank of the loch Moorhens and Coots were searching for titbits in between
spells of preening.
| Drake Goldeneye |
Female Goldeneye |
 |
 |
| Moorhen |
Coot |
 |
 |
There was a bit of a minor commotion when a large swan flew in and landed in the midst of all the
other swans. And just to further assert it’s dominance, the swan had a right good flap of its wings
A few metres away on a floating platform a large Grey Heron was getting pally with a couple of
Mute Swans that were on there preening.
At the start of my usual circuit around the loch I came across a young Herring Gull that was trying
to swallow a chunk of something, I don’t know what, but it gave up after a while. As I
photographed that, I was being watched by a Magpie sitting on the branches of a tall tree. A pair
of Tufted Ducks drifted past fairly near the lochside.
|
|
 |
 |
| Drake Tufted Duck |
Female Tufted Duck |
 |
 |
I also got a nice shot of a large drake Goosander. As usual, there were a couple of Cormorants on
a perch in the middle of the loch. One of them was drying its out-stretched wings, following a spot
of diving for fish. Not far from the Cormorants there were Black-headed Gulls gathered near the
shore. When I got back to my car I spotted a distant Buzzard circling above the trees on
the island. I was hoping it would fly overhead, but it descended into the middle of the wooded
island, bringing to an end my short visit to Hogganfield.
| Drake Goosander |
Cormorant |
 |
 |
| Black-headed Gull |
Common Buzzard |
 |
 |
Thursday 16th January: Strathclyde Country Park, Motherwell
On a day of short sunny intervals, I had a brief walk in Strathclyde Park and at the mouth of the
South Calder river I found several species of water birds, starting with a large Grey Heron prowling
across a detritus boom. On the river were a Goldeneye, a Teal and a Tufted Duck, all
drakes. As I continued my walk I encountered a friendly Robin watching me as I passed. There
was also also a female Goldeneye on the loch.
Currently there is a very healthy number of Cormorants resident on the loch, as can be gauged
from the picture below.
On most days large groups of Cormorants can be seen sweeping across the loch diving for fish.
Another bird I met was a Magpie that came very close to where I was sitting on a park bench after photographing Turkeytail fungi that was growing on a fallen tree. My final sightings at
Strathclyde Park, of drake and female Goosanders, were taken opposite the Watersport
Centre,……
| Magpie |
Turkey Tail |
 |
 |
| Drake Goosander |
Female Goosander |
 |
 |
…and Greylags Geese in the same area.
Saturday 18th January: RSPB Loch Leven
Following a social meeting near Loch Leven in Perth & Kinross
council area, I had the opportunity to briefly visit RSPB Loch Leven
nature reserve. Unfortunately the weather was very cloudy but set
off optimistic that I’d have many photos-opportunities. My first
was as I looked at the reserve
from its entrance.
The site consists of a single path with three hides. In the first hide, the Gillman hide, I was
immediately drawn to the bird feeder, on and around which was buzzing with various finches - Goldfinch, Chaffinch and Greenfinch - and very nippy Coal and Blue tits (not shown)
| Goldfinch |
Chaffinch |
 |
 |
| Greenfinch |
Goldfinch / Greenfinch |
 |
 |
As one can probably see from these pictures, the birds were “very competitive” as they accessed
the seed.
Another visitor drew my attention to a Buzzard that had just landed on a fence just left of the hide.
On my way to the next hide I noticed Dog Lichen growing on the grass banking. At the
Carden hide there was a Greylag Goose and some Teal to the left of the hide. There were a lot of
Wigeon very far from the hide (too far for a decent picture).
| Common Buzzard |
Dog Lichen |
 |
 |
| Greylag Goose |
Teal |
 |
 |
As I left the hide, I noticed a small flock of Greylags in marshland out of sight the main path and
hide.
There wasn’t anything seen from the Waterstone hide, but as I left it, at a screen where the
viewing holes are bird shapes, a few Mute Swans flew overhead. My final sightings were of a pair
of Long-tailed Tits and a Robin at a bird feeder near the main entrance.
| Mute Swan |
|
 |
 |
| Long-tailed Tit |
Robin |
 |
 |
I am pleased with the 23 species seen at
the three sites, in about 3 hours of viewing. My favourites are the
Whooper and Mute Swans at Hogganfield, the Teal and Grey Heron a
Strathclyde Park and the various frantic Finches at Loch Leven. Stormy
weather is predicted next week - not the best weather to observe birds,
but I’ll do my best.
W/E: 12th January:Strathclyde Country Park, Broadwood Loch, Barons
Haugh and Bothwell Castle
With snow pelting most of the UK for most of the week, Central Scotland got off lightly with only
the odd sprinkling of snow. There were sub-zero temperatures, but there were several days of
blue skies and continuous sunshine.
Monday 6th and Saturday 11th January: Strathclyde Country Park, Motherwell
I did a couple of walks in Strathclyde Country Park and, at the north end of the loch, the view on
Monday looking down the loch with a snow capped Tinto Hill in the distance was impressive.
I was fortunate enough to see Siskins feeding on the Alder trees, as well as a Carrion Crow
and a bonny wee Robin.
| Male Siskin |
Female Siskin |
 |
 |
| Carrion Crow |
Robin |
 |
 |
It was a more cloudy and duller day on Saturday. It was very cold, as can be seen from the picture
below of the iced-over River Clyde taken from the footbridge near the south end of the loch.
Another Robin checked me out as I made me way to a grassy area where there were a group of
Fieldfares near the main entrance. Grey Squirrels were also active in the trees, scouring the
leafless tree branches for food. Jackdaws were mingling among a group of …
| Robin |
Fieldfare |
 |
 |
| Grey Squirrel |
Jackdaw |
 |
 |
….. Greylags that were forced to graze on the short grass since the whole loch was also iced over.
I snapped a Blackbird rummaging in the leaf litter for invertebrates, such as worms and
grubs.
Wednesday 8th January: Broadwood Loch, Cumbernauld
The brightest day of the week was Wednesday. I had heard that there was
a drake Smew at Broadwood Loch in Cumbernauld, so I headed there
hoping, as I passed through the blue painted wrought iron entrance
arch, that it wasn’t completely covered in ice, but, sadly most
of it was. However, by the car park at the south end of the loch there
was a large concentration of birds gathered on ice-free water. First
though I photographed a Robin and then a pair of Bullfinches that were a few metres from my parked car
.
|
Robin |
 |
 |
| Male Bullfinch |
Female Bullfinch |
 |
 |
Mute Swans were feeding merrily at the edge of the ice sheet.
Moorhens seemed to be thriving as they foraged and quarrelled at the edges of the loch. A few
Canada Geese and Mute Swans approached any human that paused to watch them, in the hope
of the chance of getting some bread. There were a few Goldeneyes diving for food, the drakes
occasionally throwing their heads back, trying to catch the eyes of the females. A few Coots were
preening at the water’s edge, and the ubiquitous Mallards looked beautiful in the winter sunshine.
There were Black-headed Gulls standing on the edges of the ice, some sipping water as they
attended to their feathers.
There was no sign of the Smew at the south of the loch so I decided to walk around the loch to
see if there were any other ice-free areas where it may have been feeding. Last year I spotted a
Smew, probably the same bird, near a small island near the west edge of the loch, and when I
reached there, the water around the island was ice-free but it was absolutely crammed with birds
as can be appreciated from the pictures below (taken later from the east side of the loch, since on
the west side the camera was shooting into low, strong sunlight).
 |
I snapped a passing immature Common Gull just as a female Reed Bunting
flew onto a nearby tree behind me. I continued to scan the crowd of birds around the island, and
although I struggled to see the birds looking into the low sun, I could just make out a Great
Crested Grebe in the mix of birds. Eventually, I thought my time would be better spent
walking to the east side of the loch, where the sun would be behind me. On my way there I
captured a pleasing image of a Woodpigeon in flight.
| 1st Cycle Common Gull |
Female Reed Bunting |
 |
 |
| Great Crested grebe in Winter Plumage |
Wood Pigeon |
 |
 |
As I rounded the north end of the loch I managed another couple of flight shots: a Magpie and
then a Cormorant. There was a very small area of water there on which five Mallards were
gathered ….
| Magpie |
Cormorant |
 |
 |
| Female Mallard |
Drake Mallard |
 |
 |
…. as can be seen in the picture below.
Halfway down the east side of the loch I was able to view the birds gathered around the island. I
scanned in vain for the Smew. There were plenty of gulls, mainly Black-headed and Common
Gulls, and lots of Wigeon and Mallards, but no Smew.
I continued my circuit of the loch, but the whole of the east side was icebound and I got no further
close sightings until I arrived back at the car park. Goldeneyes and Tufted Ducks were diving and
my trip ended with some shots of Goosanders getting rather excited as they competed for wee
chunks of bread thrown to the assembled birds.
| Goldeneye |
Male Tufted Duck |
 |
 |
| Female Tufted Duck |
Goosander |
 |
 |
The drake Goosander made a mad dash over the ice and onto the water making a big splash
that wasn’t entirely appreciated by the other birds.
Eventually things calmed down when the bread ran out and the Goosanders drifted off reluctantly
to find less accessible food.
Thursday 9th January: RSPB Barons Haugh, Motherwell
The next day was also sunny and I visited Baron’s Haugh for a short visit. I wasn’t too hopeful of
seeing much as I expected it too would be covered in ice.
As I took the above picture I heard the call of a Bullfinch and easily located it in the neighbouring
field. When I reached the Causeway hide I encountered another Bullfinch on vegetation close to
hide. Next, I was very pleased to see a pair of Red Foxes
that were trekking across the ice covered Haugh searching for easy
prey. They didn’t catch anything though, in the short time
they were in view.
From the Marsh hide most of the bird action was on the access path into the hide along which
somebody had scattered bird seed and nuts. Very soon I had photos of a Nuthatch , Robin,
female Blackbird, Chaffinch, Coal Tit and Blue Tit, but I’ve got to admit though, it did seem like
cheating.
| Nuthatch |
Robin |
 |
 |
| Female Blackbird |
Chaffinch |
 |
 |
| Coal Tit |
Blue Tit |
 |
 |
The scrapes were mainly occupied by Wigeon.
Sunday 12th January: Bothwell Castle. Uddingston
Sunday was very cloudy and I was not intending going out with the camera until I read in social
media that a Smew was showing well on the River Clyde near Bothwell Castle. It was very
likely that it was the same bird I’d been looking for at Broadwood Loch. I arrived there around
noon and after a short search found it diving on the river, very close to the castle. In the short time
I was there I also photographed Goosanders and Cormorants and, yet another Robin completed a
productive week of sightings.
| Smew |
Goosander |
 |
 |
| Cormorant |
Robin |
 |
 |
It was a very enjoyable week of
sightings with 30 species photographed. My favourites being the
Siskins, Smew and Red Foxes. Hopefully I’ll get a few sunny days
next week, maybe a bit further afield from my local patch.
Week ending: 5th January: Stevenston, Saltcoats and Irvine Harbour
Due to poor weather and seasonal festivities I only managed a single outing this week, to the
North Ayrshire coast. John was still unable to join me but he’ll recognise much of what I’ve
described below, which I’m sure he’ll enjoy.
Thursday 2nd January: Stevenston Point
On Thursday morning the weather was predicted to be mainly sunny but cold, with the west
Central Scotland having the lowest chance of scattered showers. The tide was to be incoming to
reach its peak by mid-afternoon.
Below is the stunning view that greeted me when I arrived on the Point - blue sky and sea with a
jaw-dropping backdrop of the snow-covered hills of Arran.
A quick walk around the edges of the peninsula produced a nice set of shots of small waders - Ringed Plovers with a Sanderling, Redshanks, Dunlin and even Turnstones weaving in
and out of the shadows as they picked their way across the large pebbles and stones by the
water’s edge.
After about half an hour at the Point I drove to the pond on Moorpark Road West just east of the
Auchenharvie driving range. Apart from a healthy presence of Black-headed Gulls, the most
dominant birds there were the family of Mute Swans. The cygnets had grown since my last visit in
November. There must have been people feeding the birds just before I arrived because the
swans were gathered at the edge of the pond as were about 20 Jackdaws, a pair of Mallards and
a few Feral Pigeons.
Next I drove to the west side of the Auchenharvie Golf Course, to the pond that sits at the
centre of the course, where there is usually a fair number of bird species present. Below is a view
of the west side of the pond. Note the remains of a pump house that served the coal mine that
once occupied the site.
Things got off to a fine start as I made my way from my car to the side of the pond when I noticed
and snapped a Meadow Pipit walking along the footpath towards me. My first shot at the
pond was of a Grey Heron prowling through the marshy end of the pond. Next I got a series of
flight shots that were beautifully illuminated by the low winter sunshine: Great Black-backed Gull
chasing a Herring Gull, a low-flying Cormorant that headed towards the sea and another, closer
Herring Gull. On the far side of the pond, there was a single drake Goldeneye diving near
some Canada Geese.
There were more that 50 Canada Geese grazing on the golf course….
…. and a further 20+ on the pond.
Thursday 2nd January: Saltcoats
Delighted with my 20 minutes spent at the ponds, I headed to Saltcoats Harbour and seafront.
Initially I was disappointed by the low number of birds present at the harbour wall. However,
looking over the harbour from the tower at the harbour-mouth I could see a 100+ small waders,
which I believed were most probably Dunlin. I set off to the other side of the harbour to
investigate.
On my way there I passed a jaunty Pied Wagtail skipping around the car park looking for food left
by humans. When I arrived at the west side of the harbour I discovered there were indeed Dunlins,
and also Ringed Plovers, on the rocks. One Dunlin flew onto a rock just below where I was
standing, enabling a nice close-up shot. I got a similar close-up of a Redshank.
| Pied Wagtail |
Dunlin... |
 |
 |
| Ringed Plover / Dunlin |
Dunlin |
 |
 |
| Dunlin |
Redshank |
 |
 |
Walking further around the harbour I spotted a ferry making its
way from the dramatic, snowcoated Isle of Arran, sailing from Brodick
across the Firth of Clyde to Ardrossan.
I passed a Rock Pipit and then a Starling that were standing on the harbour wall. At the Harbour
mouth I watched a Shag (or possibly a Cormorant) standing on rocks that were occasionally being
pounded by large waves.
At the Saltcoats Tidal Pool I was pleased to see a number of birds standing on a large boulder.
There were a couple of Oystercatchers along with what, at first, I thought were Redshanks, but on
closer inspection turned out to be Purple Sandpipers.
Thursday 2nd January: Irvine Harbour
My final location was, as usual, Irvine Harbour. The Sun was getting low in the sky and its light
was decidedly amber, and can be seen in the shot below of the famous Scientists Bridge across
Irvine Estuary. The bridge once lead to The Big Idea : “an interactive celebration of
Scotland's scientists and inventions”.
The were Starlings catching grubs on the grassy banks by the promenade. On the River Irvine, a
few Shags and several Red-breasted Mergansers were diving for fish.
| Starling |
Shag |
 |
 |
| Female Red Breasted Merganser |
Drake Red Breasted Merganser |
 |
 |
On the opposite bank, a large Grey Heron was standing and in the shallows and a Little Grebe was
diving for small fish. At the mouth of the river a Shag had its wings
outstretched drying. My final shot of the trip was near my car where a
Carrion Crow was standing over something sticky - dread to think what.
| Grey Heron |
Little Grebe |
 |
 |
| Shag |
Carrion Crow |
 |
 |
This was a very pleasant outing with 26 species photographed. My favourite sightings were of
small waders, particularly the Purple Sandpipers, the Meadow Pipit and the Red-breasted
Mergansers. Hopefully I will get at least one day of nice bright weather next week.
Highlights - January 2025
We present this month’s gallery of my
favourite pictures I’ve taken during January 2025. 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
| Carrion Crow |
1st Cycle Common Gull |
|
|
| Cormorant / Herring Gull |
Goldfinch / Greenfinch |
|
|
| Goosander |
Wood pigeon |
|
|
ON WATER
| Black-headed Gull |
Canada Goose.... |
 |
 |
|
Eider |
 |
 |
| Gadwall |
Female Goldeneye |
 |
 |
| Drake Goldeneye |
Female Goosander |
|
 |
| Pochard |
Wigeon |
 |
 |
| Goosander / Mallard / Coot |
 |
PORTRAIT
| Canada Goose |
Goldeneye |
|
|
| Mute Swan |
Whooper Swan |
|
|
| Goosander |
Moorhen |
 |
 |
WADERS
| Bar-tailed Godwit |
Curlew |
|
|
| Redshank |
Dunlin |
|
|
| Turnstone |
Grey Heron |
 |
 |
PERCHERS
| Bullfinch |
Blue Tit |
|
|
| Common Buzzard |
Feral Pigeon |
|
|
| Great Tit |
Kingfisher |
|
|
| Robin |
Siskin |
|
|
REFLECTIONS
| Little Grebe |
Female Mallard |
|
|
| Drake Mallard |
Red Breasted Merganser |
|
|
MAMMALS
| Grey Squirrel... |
|
|
|
| Red Fox... |
|
|
|
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