Exploring Galloway's Rhins..

After getting this Blog up to date and completing an almost compulsory examination of Loch Ryan , but not being particularly successful in locating anything new, I set off to explore the Rhins.  It's many years since I'd been to the Mull of Galloway one harsh winter and really all I could remember was seeing a small party of Snow Bunting immediately outside the gate to the lighthouse !! Neither could I remember any of the other sites in the overall area.

Sandhead Bay  was the first stop to chase up what had been reported as a 3000 strong flock of Common Scoter with some rarer relatives among them.  Not to be,  as not a sign of any scoters  whatsoever. Odd Eider and Wigeon were in evidence, but little else. Continuing south I had some early lunch at Ardwell overlooking a very picturesque bay.  I did see a small party of Common Scoter , some Wigeon and Eider together with a couple of Stonechat but , again, things were quiet.  Making regular stops and scanning what was a relatively calm sea I was surprised at the apparent absence of divers with only one Great Northern Diver found at distance. Finally I was at Drummore ( is this the southernmost rookery in Scotland ? ) which is a surprisingly large community for such an isolated place, and moved on to the Mull of Galloway. 

As might be imagined at this time of year things were a little quiet. However, rafts of auks were offshore and both Razorbill and Guillemot were seen together with a fly-by Red-throated Diver. Several Rock Pipits were on the coast and a female Merlin started up from the ground and flew north, a migrant ?  Having seen molehills in the vicinity I was surprised to learn of the resident Red Foxes and their diet !

Afterwards I left the Mull of Galloway I did a further four hour stint at a harrier roost  ( until 1815 hours ) and saw not a one !!  Compensation was in the form of 700/800 Golden Plover and exceptionally good views of Raven which came up behind a knoll and stared at me penetratingly  for quite a period ( or so it seemed ). 

So another fine day in all respects !

High and low ground ! 5.3.2018

The inevitable attraction of Loch Ryan called and a visit to a selection of viewpoints was made before deciding what best to do with the day .  On the western side some superb views of two males and one female Long-tailed Duck was had. Even just with binoculars the views were tremendous!  Whilst all the usual suspects appeared, discovering a single and then several other Slavonian Grebe ( 4 ) was  rewarding . Three Knot, a few Shelduck, Rock Pipit were all welcome newcomers.  A relative absence , at least at this stage, of divers is noticeable, but may be down to little more than poor luck on my part !

I decided to go east ! Having got to Newton Stewart, and with visibility and general weather conditions improving, I struck off into the hills within the Galloway Forest Park.  The weather actually deteriorated and visibility wasn't of the best as I ventured as far as Clatteringshaws Loch. A chipping Crossbill and a couple of other indistinct calls were all I earned for a rather cold hour , so I retraced my steps.  I always feel in awe of Alexander Murray as I pass both the humble ruins that were his birthplace and the magnificent monument erected to commemorate one of Scotland's most remarkable sons.   That someone brought up with six other siblings in a tiny stone cottage very much out in the wilds  should aspire eventually to be Professor of Oriental Languages at Edinburgh University is a wonderful story.

A view of Murray's Monument showing the bleak , open surroundings in the vicinity.

Retracing my steps I went southwards into The Machars to visit the wetland area nearby to Wigtown.  Well, imagine my surprise when this scene met my eyes!

The area lies at the confluence of two rivers  ( the Cree and the Bladnoch ) and, at the higher tides within Wigtown Bay, presents this watery view !  The access to the hide was cut off for a while, although little would have been in view initially. Eventually the waters receded and views of several Little Egrets, Grey Heron and parties of Pink-footed Geese and Barnacle Geese were secured. A single Greenshank fed within a flooded area and in the adjacent marsh numbers of Teal, Pintail and Shoveler afforded great views. This is a splendid site ( when not flooded ) and always worthy of a visit. Concluding sightings were a couple of Reed Bunting , odd Meadow Pipit and Skylark and an early "White" Wagtail, the first migrant of Spring ! .

I chose a cross country route to return to Starnraer which typified the quinessential countryside of Galloway's agricultural heritage. Turning a corner I was surprised to come across a very large gathering of Pink-footed Geese, which I scrutinized for any scarcer species without success.

All in all, a mixed day but one with some nice surprises and overall success.

A taste of west Galloway. Sunday, 4.3.2018

Up and out early was clearly the order of the day, although the beckoning weather was rather cold and uninviting.  A full circuit of Loch Ryan seemed a good idea as visibility was reasonable and the wind not too strong. Whilst tempted to stop off at various locations I eventually arrived at a point north of the ferry terminals on the eastern side of this large sea loch. Large ferry boats ply back and forth between here and Northern Ireland and it was fascinating to see the number of large lorries coming off the ferry even on a Sunday morning  ( unimpeded by Customs checks I imagine (!! ), but an indication of the volume of trade in place.  We need to get this whole situation sorted ! )

I confess I felt more than a pang of sadness as views of Great Northern Diver, Black Guillemot, Long-tailed Duck and Red-breasted Merganser occurred and transported me back to what was routine birdwatching fare on Islay. Working my way southwards down the eastern  side I discovered a roost of Oystercatcher and Bar-tailed Godwit besides numbers of Ringed Plover given the tide was now  at its full height.  Numbers of Scaup ( 150?) and Wigeon were scattered along the southern shore  as was a variety of waders ( Redshank,  Dunlin , Turnstone and more Oystercatcher and Ringed Plover ).

Eventually I moved off down to Sandend on the Rhins.  The wind backed tide here was almost overtopping the beach and bringing with it a lot of detritus which large numbers of gulls were picking over. It was clearly impossible to see anything out "at sea" so I moved off and had an explore. Later I moved to an area famed for sightings, and even roosting,  of Hen Harriers and prepared myself for a long wait. Occasional winter showers persisted and it was extremely cold, even in the car.  There were numbers of Pink-footed Geese and Grey-lag Geese around and I eventaully remained until almost dusk.  It paid off as I had a couple of harriers, both ring-tails  with one being a rather dark bird and the other somewhat the opposite!  Merlin, Kestrel and a couple of Common Buzzard completed the raptor sightings  from what had been an enjoyable afternoon.

Finally on the move. Sat. 3. 3.2018

After three days of self imposed "exile" in Dumfries due to the horrendous weather which has hit most of the UK It was time to transfer to my intended  "base" for the second part of the holiday.  I'd achieved nothing within the first part due to road closures locally, but reflected on the fact that, had I been at home , conditions wouldn't have been any better!

I was amazed, and in awe, of the small group of birds in the vicinity of the Travelodge , that , day after day, fed within the short length of hedgerow along a nearby ditchline.  That they could survive the conditions and exceedingly low temperatures is almost unbelievable.  Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Blackbird, Starling, Dunnock and Robin were doubtless welcoming the ever so slight improvement to conditions.

And so, after buying stores I set off westwards along the A75, fully open but with less welcoming roads leading off elsewhere.  I called at Carlingwark Loch, Castle Douglas and was surprised to find it unfrozen.  Mute Swan, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Coot, Moorhen  plus an assemblage of gulls, mainly Black-headed , the odd Common and Herring and a single LBBG were in evidence.  A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew away and a Treecreeper industriously worked its way up one of the mature lochside trees whilst a Mistle Thrush , several Starlings and Blackbirds sought food in the open.  I abandoned my intention to walk at least part of the way around the loch as the fine snow continued to fall and create a mist like atmosphere that limited visibility.

Continuing on I parked up near Creetown overlooking where the River Cree flows into Wigtown Bay which, at high tide, presents a huge expanse of water !  Little was in view , although a couple of Goldcrest exploring a bankside tree were both a surprise and a delight. Whilst the weather hadn't improved, the amount of snow was lessening as each mile went by . Shortly after Newton Stewart the first open fields came into view ( hooray ! ) and life started to hold promise !   Continuing on Stranraer, let it be said, is snow free even to the extent of a few crocus and snowdrops adding a touch of colour to an otherwise drab  background.

I couldn't resist parking up at several spots overlooking Loch Ryan and was rewarded with views of Red-throated Diver, Great Crested Grebe, Eider, Goldeneye and a flock of Light bellied Brent Geese  near to The Wig on the western side. A good beginning !  After arriving at my "base" on the Corsewall Estate the rest of the day was taken up by the usual chore of unpacking , cooking and familiarisation of what is an extremely comfortable apartment in a converted stable block.  A welcome shift in fortune after the tribulations of the past week, although a thought must be given for the many folk who have had things far worse. It's got to end sometime, folks !

Snowy update.

Some years ago , when I lived on Islay, I took a late winter holiday  (March) with the intention of visiting S. Yorks, Norfolk and stopping off in SW Scotland to do some birding. The latter never happened as I was marooned in Dumfries and had to stay at the Travelodge for several days due to severe weather. Thereafter my holiday planning was the brunt of family jokes as you might imagine.

So, in this period of inclement chaos where do I find myself?   Dumfries Travelodge ,of course, even down to the same room as previously ( henceforth this will be known as the Armitage Suite and have a blue plaque outside the door ).   Thoughts of getting out and about are best suppressed.  Although the main road ( A75 ) is open the side roads are not worth risking.  Irony, fate.......who knows? 

Yesterday morning , with light snow falling for quite a considerable time, some of the Rooks remained around the local roost adjacent to the Travelodge for most of the morning. The Jackdaws had moved off immediately and weren't seen again until late in the afternoon when they flew through rapidly as a composite group. The Rooks completely abandoned the roost last night and moved elsewhere. Odd birds have put in an appearance this morning but I guess they're having a tough time. Whilst it's far too early to tell, and certainly not to predict things, it will be interesting to see what the after effects are on small bird populations ( Wren, Long-tailed Tit, Goldcrest, ) given the bad weather is pretty universal across the UK with very few areas being unaffected.   This is the time when garden refuges really come into their own! 

So hopes have been dashed as far as planned intentions were concerned and everything is now pinned on next week in the far west ( Stranraer ) which I'll be moving to on Saturday and leaving this Amber Warning area behind !

East coast outing . 25.2 2018.

Yesterday was the routine monthly outing of the Huddersfield and Halifax RSPB MG. Despite the weather being grey and penetratingly cold at the onset,  the day improved with bright sunshine throughout, although without any discernible improvement to temperatures.  First stop was Scalby Mills at Scarborough which, unfortunately , was somewhat devoid of birds as the high tide, backed by a brisk easterly wind, had over-topped the rocks offshore and continued to sweep into otherwise sheltered areas immediately off the coast.. A few Wigeon were present, a Rock Pipit flew past as did a Shelduck offshore and a Grey Wagtail was present among the rocks of the nearby stream. 

As a consequence we moved on to check Scarborough Harbour which in recent winters has played host to some good birds. Our thinking was , with easterly winds , something would surely have sought refuge within the harbour. Well, our thinking was seriously flawed as, other than a few Turnstone, precious little was in evidence with even gulls being in short supply. It was interesting to see the numbers of people out and about and note the beefburger, fish and chips, cockles or similar and ice cream vendors now appear to work to a twelve month season !

On to an area immediately south of Scarborough, where we overlooked the coast from the car park. Red-throated Diver,  a pair of Goosander which then moved north, a couple of Mediterranean Gulls improved the day as did a very showy Roe Deer. We then moved on to our major venue for the rest of the day, Filey Brig. A little windswept and bracing it might be said, but the day was still bright and a pleasure nonetheless.  A few Gannets were offshore as was a distant raft of auks which were probably all Guillemots if the occasional single bird we identified was an indication.  A couple of Eider, Fulmar, a small group of Purple Sandpiper, a party of Redshank , a large feeding group of Oystercatcher in the car park area, several Cormorants and a Shag improved our day list.  In recent times reports of a Velvet Scoter being present were circulated. Despite an appreciable amount of time being spent searching the only bird we found was a single Common Scoter which, nonetheless was new.

So, an extremely enjoyable day in typical winter weather that produced some nice birds despite the robust conditions! 

The start of a new begining !

The last two years has seen some major changes in my personal circumstances, e.g. moving from Islay to South Yorkshire,  challenging family incidents which, thankfully, have all resolved themselves satisfactorily and  now a series of utterly frustrating events at the beginning of this year that have moved beyond the simple description of "unfortunate"!




Setting aside a bad fall on ice, a less than comfortable journey back home from Scotland and surviving, along with everyone else, a less than clement period of weather thereafter, the main problem was yet to occur. Can you conceive of a set of circumstances where you have two absolutely serviceable laptops that then abruptly cease to function within the same ten days.!!  Desolation followed and a growing realisation of how completely dependent we are on technology nowadays!  Leaving the boring details to one side , a new machine has been bought and I'm gradually becoming acquainted with Window 10 ( tell me it does happen, eventually ! ).




In between times I've managed a period down in Norfolk and trips off here and there but, of course, have not been able to put out Blogs about the visits or indulge in any ranting about conservation issues!  No comments please !  After 2017 this year was meant to be the absolute perfect launch into what might now be considered "retirement". The first six weeks have been a bit mixed but things are now hopefully under control!  I've set up Patchwork Challenge, BirdTrack , Bubo, Bird Journal and got this facility under way again, so it's wall to wall birding from now on......an utterly apt lifestyle for a 76 year old, don't you think? I'm away to the Solway shortly and have a continuous flow of similar "expeditions" in hand. Can't wait!


Finally, this is a shot I got of a male American Wigeon at Clachnaharry Loch, Inverness in early January which has returned for a second winter.

The "High Tops"......but with a difference. 3.1.2018.

Not a lot of opportunity for birding today and the routine spells out locally produced nothing new.

In the afternoon I went with my daughter Rachael to the cinema within the Edencourt Theatre in Inverness. She'd got hold of tickets as a part of my Christmas gifts for a showing of the film " Mountain".  I can't recommend it highly enough ( forgive the pun ! ). It's not a natural history film as such but the scenery shots are absolutely spectacular. There was a real spiritual and artistic aspect to parts of the film with shots of avalanches, "rooftop vistas", ski-ing descents and even erupting volcanoes and close up shots of lava flows.

I confess I found the shots of tent "villages" and columns of people queuing to  access the summit of Everest less than inspiring. The "must have" mentality of conquering this majestic peak somehow relegates the sheer beauty of the surrounding landscape.  And then I reminded myself that to many outsiders the congregating masses of birders comprising a major "twitch " might seem just as offensive.  Live and let live I guess.

At several junctures there was footage of some of the extreme activities now taking place in high places, some of which appear completely absurd.  Solo climbing vertical cliffs almost came across as de rigeur ! Launching off high cliffs within mountain ranges on a bike, plummeting downwards with the whole situation then relying on the deployment of a parachute was spectacular. I confess I really enjoyed the somewhat more mundane filmed descents down precipitous snow fields and through woodlands !

Try and see it at one of your local, privately run cinemas. It is well worth it.

Wrong kind of Grand Slam ! 2.1.2018

With Andy Murray's hip injury making the headlines it wasn't at all compensating to be part of the idiom !

Dawn saw me out with the dogs in what was Baltic weather temperatures. A misjudgement led to my upending, going horizontal and slamming down on the frozen ground with its ample ice covering. Whilst I sustained no direct injuries I did give my head a wallop. Thankfully no aftermath arose from that part of the drama, but the next few hours did increasingly confirm which body bits had made contact with the cold , cold ground !   The worst part is actually getting up from ice covered ground.....not a wholly dignified process and a bit reminiscent of animals taking their first steps after being born !  Morning walking duties completed the rest of the morning was given over to garden birdwatching.

It proved to be quite interesting with Yellowhammer, Lesser Redpoll and a small group of Goldfinch appearing and overflying Fieldfare and Pink-footed Geese being seen.  

And so it begins......2018 !

In retrospect 2017 was both a good and bad year in a personal sense. A great trip out to Morocco in Spring, various trips around the UK and periods spent at Spurn contrasted against a couple of near disastrous family experiences that were far less enjoyable .  Thankfully, all is now improved and, hopefully, 2018 promises to be a more consistently productive and happy year ( once I've got my Speed Awareness Course out of the way on the 23rd January ! ).

So, what of the onset of 2018 ?  I'm up near Inverness, Scotland in what has been cold and icy weather so far, but is gradually set to improve. Walks out during the day ( with the dogs ) has produced little within the nearby coniferous woodlands or adjacent agricultural areas with far more activity in the garden around the feeders. Best of the bunch has been Long-tailed Tits, Siskin, Lesser Redpoll, Tree Sparrow, Treecreeper and odd Greenfinch with occasional Red Kite and Common Buzzard overhead.

The star performance was from a Long-tailed Field Mouse.  This individual repeatedly appeared out of its "hidey hole"  , ran down to a group of House Sparrows gathered around some food I'd scattered under the bushes, retrieved a supply and sped off !! Except it did it several times leaving the sparrows literally bewildered. What the hell was that ? There was no reaction whatsoever ! Animal theatre at its best.

With daughters accounted for after the Hogmanay celebrations the next day or so proved to be a football filled, crisis-free series of days. A good start !