Red Kite at feeding station, Laurieston (near Loch Ken)
Digiscoped shot of a Buzzard and a Red Kite together in a bush. Note the size difference between the two!
Pheasant at Ken-Dee marshes RSPB reserve
Greylag Goose, Loch Ken. Lots of these birds are scattered all around the Loch.
Greenland White-fronted Geese, Loch Ken
White-fronted geese against a moody looking sky
Charlie the Chaffinch posing
Charlie the Chaffinch singing (Ken-Dee Marshes reserve car park)xxx
I am now back home and not happy - I could easily stay in D&G permanently. This morning was almost culture shock - going to work instead of loafing around and a bitterly cold, grey and windy morning in comparison to the warm, balmy day yesterday. Anyway, to recap a few recent sightings:
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Tuesday 17th.
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I managed a quick hour at Loch Ryan. Turning into the road up the east side of the Loch I noticed a ring-tailed Hen Harrier hunting over gorse at the side of the road nr Leffnoll Point. It seemed slightly bizarre next to a main road for some reason. I then parked up at the picnic spot north of Cairyan and immediately watched 3 Rock Pipits flitting around. Despite being sunny it was very windy, making the loch choppy and viewing conditions difficult. 7 Red-throated Divers were seen with around 80 Eiders, 3 Guillemots, 6 Shags and a Black Guillemot also around.
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I suddenly heard a few alarm calls behind me and turned to see a large female Peregrine flying around the hill to the east. Birds were scattering in all directions and she put on a good show. Down to the old wooden pier and 3 more Black Guillemots were observed. It was still 4 hours before high tide so I made a quick pit stop at the southern end of the Loch before heading off home. 6 Bar-tailed Godwits were on the shoreline and I estimated the Scaup flock at 200+ birds. A quick trip to Mersehead in the afternoon produced a Jack Snipe from the Bruaich hide. Late afternoon approx 200 Scaup drifted into the channel nr Kippford.
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Wednesday 18th
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A quick trip to Mersehead early on. I noticed one group of Barnacle Geese comprising around 200 birds from the Bruaich Hide - scanning them revealed over 20 ringed birds. I recorded the codes on the darvic rings for 18 of these birds. Half of the birds (green ring, left leg) were ringed in Spitzbergen with the oldest being AHV - he is 18 years old. The other half (orange ring, left leg) are birds that have been ringed at Mersehead since 2000. Incidentally the bird with the transmitter aerial I saw at the weekend is Google - one of seven Barnacle Geese ringed at Mersehead this year and fitted with tracking equipment. Their progress can be monitored at:
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Leaving the hide I immediately heard the distinctive song of a Chiffchaff. It's funny how I have been yearning to hear this song knowing that in a few weeks it will be irritating the life out of me! The warbler showed well and followed me all the way down the hedge to the farm. There we parted company and I then scanned 40 or so Linnets looking for a Twite but to no avail.
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In the afternoon I went looking for White-fronted Geese. Someone had reported them in fields on the east side of Loch Ken just an hour earlier - I found only Greylags and a single Red Kite. I then headed off up the west side to Ken-Dee Marshes RSPB reserve. As soon as I got there I spotted the Greenland White-front flock on the slope of a nearby hill approx 500 yds away. I was soon joined by Chris and Pat Baines who run the D&G Yahoo birding group. Very nice people too and I enjoyed their company. No Eurasian White-fronts were obvious - the flock eventually totalled 69 birds. I then headed off to the hides where 15 Snipe, 3 Redshank, a Curlew and a Goldeneye showed.
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Thursday 18th
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A quick trip to Laurieston this afternoon for feeding time at Ballymach Farm. Approx 30 birds were present, however my Canon EOS30D decied to develop a fault after 20 mins or so of shooting. It looks like it will have to go to the service centre - I have not been able to fix it. On the way home tonight we made a pit stop at Southwaite Services north of Penrith. I kept thinking at the time that there were a lot of Pied Wags around. As we drove to the slip road I glanced at a bush by the side of the road - at least 100 Pied Wags were roosting in that bush!
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Today I started off with my usual pre-work trip with Billy to HGF. It was nice to see the Wigeon flock more or less still all present - I had thought they might have left by now. A nice surprise was a third Black-necked Grebe - all three birds were huddled together as though making a statement about the cold weather. A White Wagtail showed well on the north bank and 2 Ruddy Ducks and a juvenile Mute Swan were new. A pair of Teal were also present along with 9 Great Crested Grebes.
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At lunch I escaped to the Moat Lane pool Rixton for 20 mins. Nothing of interest to report other than a female Sparrowhawk flying over the pool. At home this evening a male Reed Bunting and a single Long-tailed Tit were in the garden.
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