It seems like the weather has finally realised that it is autumn, for this last week has seen some heavy rain showers and strong gusts of wind. Despite this, we've still managed to get out and about and see lots of brilliant birds. We started off the week with a single swallow. This may well be the last of this species we see until next year and, given the weather it was facing, who can blame it really! Hopefully the poor bird manages to dry out when it reaches Africa!
The wet weather has resulted in many pools forming in some of the fields along the wig (which, for this reason, we call them the pool fields!) and these have been put to good use, with a flock over 200 common gulls roosting there while 17 curlews and a bar-tailed godwit fed around them. Other waders seen this week include counts of 2 dunlins, 192 golden plovers, 6 grey plovers, 10 knot, approximately 94 ringed plovers and 148 oystercatchers.
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| A Slavonian grebe |
Loch Connell also sported some waders, with a total of 58 lapwing being seen. Also at Loch Connell there were 2 Canada geese, 2 cormorants, 145 teals and 2 herons. A further 2 herons were seen at the marsh on the same day. The marsh was providing twos that day, for two reed bunting also were flitting about the vegetation. Whilst not at Loch Connell, the goosander that flew over our house had no doubt come from there. It made for a nice garden record anyway!
At the mention of gardens, many of our 'common' species have been showing well this week. 3 dunnocks were present in our garden while a neighbour had a single flock of 19 collared doves and the field beyond our gardens sported 44 goldfinches. A single buzzard has been seen around the woods this week - it is likely that there are more of these majestic raptors about but they are less vocal than in the summer. A roosting flock of jackdaws numbered over 100 birds and, sticking with corvids, a flock of 10 carrion crows was at the Fisher's Lane outlet (carrion crows tend to be found singly or in small flocks). A different carrion crow was seen along the beach, differentiated by a pure white spot on its breast. Over 70 woodpigeons were seen feeding in a stubble field. This time of year is best for movements of woodpigeons and the flock of 75 that was flying south west earlier in the week were likely migrants heading for winter pastures.
Other winter migrants are of course our thrushes. We've seen 14 fieldfares, a mistle thrush and 2 song thrushes over the course of this week. Another migrant, a late wheatear, was seen on the beach. This leads us nicely into little brown jobs: 2 linnets were seen this week ,compared to the highest day-count of roughly 110 twite. 3 rock pipits were outnumbered by 7 meadow pipits and 26 skylarks were present in a single day (including a flock of 20 birds). The number of wintering skylarks has been very few in recent years but perhaps this is a sign that they are on the increase again. With all these tasty morsel about, it's no surprise that raptors would be too and this week we saw a peregrine and a merlin.
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| A first-winter wheatear |
A day later, Gill Deacon was luck enough to see another merlin (or was it the same bird?) flying towards Stranraer. While at Marian Jetty, Gill also saw a velvet scoter, 3 long-tailed ducks, some Slavonian grebes, red-breasted mergansers, common scoters, a razorbill and 3 red-throated divers. All in all, a nice selection of the birds that are present on Loch Ryan at the moment.
Also out on the loch, this week we have seen 4 black guillemots, a guillemot, a red-necked grebe, another velvet scoter and a single great northern diver (on two different days). Some of our highest day-counts this week include 108 common scoters, 67 red-breasted mergansers and 128 shags (hauled at the scar and Cairnryan pier in groups of 38 and 90, respectively). A single shelduck and a lonesome pink-footed goose were around the scar and the pale-bellied brent goose flock stood at a highest count of 174 birds this week. These small geese are still increasing in number, although their dark-bellied cousins haven't been seen for some weeks now.
As ever, there are so many birds out there that I could happily talk about them forever! For now, perhaps I'd better sign off and settle for going and and watching them instead.
[All photographs were taken by and are the property of Stephen Grover, please ask for permission if you wish to use them.]
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