April is drawing to a close and yet our bird activity is showing no signs of slowing down. Perhaps this is to be expected, with many species preparing, or even starting to breed. And yet somehow we're still getting new species appearing each week, such is the bountiful nature of the spring migration.
Following on from last week's guide, and we're already seeing Swallows on a daily basis. House Martins are becoming a regular sight as well and a couple will be breeding locally within our village. Friday was a particularly good day for them as we had 20 individual birds, our highest Martin count yet. Whilst not as frequent as the other two, we still did see a couple of Sand Martins over the week. These used to breed locally at Soleburn, but can still be found at Piltanton, or over on the west coast at Dally Bay. To round out the set we even had some Swifts, with four being recorded over the Hospital within Stranraer itself.
Spring could definitely be called the season of sounds, with so many birds calling to their mates, or singing to attract one. It's easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer variety of songs, but it certainly never helps when some species like to spice it up with every sound they make. No more is this true than for the Song Thrush, and I spent a good amount of time up in the woods this week trying to pin down what was making the plethora of bizarre calls, only to find a Song Thrush as the culprit each time! What was also very nice to see this week has a high number of Mistle Thrushes. Not normally as prolific as their vocal cousins, we had consistent records of them in the Corsewall Estate Gardens, with up to as many as three in one day. That wasn't all on the thrush front, however, as we also had several records of Fieldfares this week. These birds winter in the UK, amongst other countries, and are now in the process of migrating back to Northern-Europe in order to breed.
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| Song Thrush in prime position to call out to the world |
We are very fortunate that around the Wig there is a great diversity in the habitats and the species which they support. One such habitat which can be easily overlooked are the marshes. They are a short strip of tall vegetation that run alongside the beach, and this week they have been an explosion of activity. Staple species include Grey Herons which prowl the ponds, and the many ducks that feed alongside them. It is very common to hear Teal calling from behind the banks, however this week it was all about Mallards, with males showing very prominently on the marsh pools. No ducklings yet, but we did see some of those over at Loch Connell later in the week. Back to the marsh, and often the best way to find something is to hear it, as numerous birds call out from within the safety of the shrubs. Previously we've had Reed Buntings and Willow Warblers recording singing here, but this week we added another three species to the list! Expanding our Warblers roster, we had both Sedge and Grasshopper Warblers singing from within the marsh this week. Alongside them, our first Whitethroat, which we have heard many times since then. Every week I think we've seen the last of the spring migrants arriving and yet every week we manage to get a couple more, so I'm excited to see what next week brings.
Springtime is breeding time for many species of birds, and that includes our waders. For us locally this is on the Scar, a sand bar at the end of the track running up the Wig, and it's surrounding areas. Because of the breeding birds here, the area is off-limits from May till August, so if you are visiting the area please watch out for the signs and try to keep to the footpath.
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| Oystercatcher eggs are well hidden amongst the shingle |
That doesn't mean we still can't see these birds, indeed this week provided a lot of action on the wader front. Alongside staple Oystercatchers (who breed along the beach, so watch your footing) we also had Curlews and 28 Whimbrels! There were also Bar and Black-tailed Godwits, Ringed Plover and Turnstones, and even some small flocks of Dunlin and Sanderling.
On a final note, I want to highlight our Raptors. We've been collecting and dissecting a lot of pellets lately and using their contents to determine their owners. To me though, it is no substitute for seeing them in person. Fortunately this week we've been pretty lucky, and alongside the more common Buzzards, we also had a Kestrel and Tawny Owls. Normally we only hear the Tawny Owls calling, but this week we not only saw 1, but 3! The Barn Owls still prove to be elusive however, and whilst we have evidence of them in the area, it's been a while since we've seen one.
Another week comes to close, and with it we're suddenly in the month of May. April has seen an explosion of bird activity, with so many migrants arriving, as well as our resident birds getting ready to breed. Going forward into May we can expect this activity to continue, and so hopefully we will have lots of more exciting records to report in the coming weeks.
[All photographs were taken by and belong to Stephen Grover, please ask for permission if you wish to use them.]
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