Hello and welcome to the start of our Loch Ryan birding blog, A Wander Round the Wig! It is my hope that through this blog I'll be able to share my love for wildlife and provide an account of what you can see on and around Loch Ryan throughout the year.
Before I dive into the more exciting details of what I've got planned for this blog, a little bit about me. To the majority who probably don't know me, my name is Benjamin Grover and I was lucky enough to be brought up in a family with a passion for the natural world. With both my parents being keen birders it was only natural that my sister and I would get hooked as well, and so I've been bird watching longer than I can accurately remember. I wouldn't call myself the most proficient birder, I've got other members of the family to fill that role! However, I do like to think that I am the most outgoing member of the family (certainly the most technologically adept which is a benefit in this area) and so it seems only fitting that I should share our experiences through this medium. Living near the shores of Loch Ryan has been the perfect to place to grow up with an interest in the environment, and now that I appreciate the fantastic diversity of species that we get year round here, I thought it was time to share it with all you fellow enthusiasts out there.
 |
| I'd like to think I was looking at Choughs here - Uwchmynydd in Wales |
Thriving in his retirement, my father goes out bird watching on a daily basis. Indeed, if you've ever been down to the Wig you may well have seen him with his tripod and telescope as he makes his routine wander along the beach. Between our stints at University my sister and I may often accompany him, but wherever we are we're always paying attention to everything which flies above or flits from the hedge. Even if the weather isn't the best (as it often is in these parts) living on the village hill gives us a perfect look-out on the upstairs landing, through which we can gaze out over the Loch and observe from the comfort of home. Therefore, between all of us we compile a lot of records of species seen around Loch Ryan. Some of these find their way to the county recorder, so perhaps you'll have seen a record or 2 submitted by us in the annual reports. As I've come to learn though, there is always something interesting to see day by day and so the premise for this blog was born.
It is my hope that this blog will provide a weekly report for the sightings on Loch Ryan around the year. I'll be including not only the rare and unusual sightings, but also our more regular species, as well as counts and locations if you want to look for them yourselves. Often I see people asking "What is in the area right now?" and I hope that this blog will able to give people the most up to date report on such sightings. Whether you're a local who would like to know when the Long-Tailed Ducks arrive, or someone who is visiting the area and has a wish-list of species to see, I hope that this blog will be able to provide meaningful information for all.
 |
| Ailsa Craig as seen through the mouth of Loch Ryan |
Alongside these weekly species reports, I also wish to put out another article focusing on wildlife as a broader topic. These could be anything; bird identification tips, looking at local plant life, great spots for outings or even an in-depth guide to a particular species. I have a couple of ideas of what I'm going to include in this section, but any suggestions for what you would like to see are greatly appreciated. I aim to have these out on a weekly/biweekly basis, but forgive me if I'm a bit slow to start with, this is my first time writing a blog after all!
And so I think that wraps it up for the welcome post. If all goes to plan then by the time this goes up there will also be a second article up, with yet another hot on its heels! I hope that you look forward to seeing what records we have had this week, and if you've had any records of your own we'd love to hear from you!
(All pictures taken by and belong to Stephen Grover, please ask for permission if you wish to use them)
No comments:
Post a Comment