It has been a bit dull and dark this week - winter is definitely on its way. We have seen some comparatively low counts this week and have finally broken our streak of seeing new species. However, this just makes us appreciate what we have seen all the more. We haven't been able to count the brent goose flock every day (we didn't see any brents one day) and our highest count was a comparatively low 161 birds. A single pink-footed goose was looking rather lonely sitting out on the scar and a single mallard was also present at the wig. We saw a flock of 5 adult whooper swans and mute swans also made it back onto out list this week (a flock of 6 individuals).
Small numbers of scaup were also present at the wig: first 2, then 4 and then back down to 2 again. We only ever see low numbers of scaup in wig bay itself - the main flock prefers to loaf around and feed at the other end of the loch. Great crested grebes also must have been hiding elsewhere this week, for we only saw a total of 5 individuals. Slavonian grebes, however, were still showing well with a highest day-count of 31. We also saw 2 razorbills, 2 different black-throated divers, 17 red-throated divers and a total of 6 great northern divers (although 4 of these were on the same day). On the diving duck front, we had highest day-counts of 22 red-breasted mergansers, 111 common scoters, 12 long-tailed ducks and 16 goldeneyes.
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| A female scaup |
Another goldeneye was seen at Loch Connell, alongside a male and a female tufted duck and over 240 teal. The geese in the fields around Loch Connell numbered over 160 Canada geese, over 40 greylag geese and 1 pink-footed goose mixed in amongst them. Two herons were seen fishing and last week's moorhen and adult Mediterranean gull were both also still present at this small freshwater loch. The Mediterranean gull has almost become a regular there, perhaps it will spend the whole winter in this location.
Back at the wig, our regular gull species of black-headed, common and great black-backed gulls all made frequent appearances and we made a count of approximately 200 herring gulls. Waders often mingle amongst the gulls on the scar and the highlight this week was 46 golden plovers, which we were only able to see because they were frightened into flying by a peregrine. Raptors certainly have their uses in putting up well camouflaged birds! Other raptors seen this week include a sparrowhawk and a buzzard.
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| A brief flyover from a sparrowhawk |
As you walk around the wig, it is always a good idea to keep looking to the fields and woods, not just at the shore and the loch. This way you can see many more species that are unlikely to be sitting on the beach. This week we saw 3 meadow pipits, 22 skylarks (all in 1 day) and 2 fieldfares. An increase on last week, we saw 8 siskins and although we only saw 1 redwing we heard others flying over at night.
I'll finish off this bog post in the same place that all of my outings finish: my house. Our garden has again been performing well, with over 50 house sparrows cheeping away from the hedge and a single goldcrest (not particularly common in our garden) braving a rainy day to search for insects. Over 800 starlings were wheeling through the skies and - on a different day - a total of 734 were perched on the electricity wires.
It just goes to show that you can see birds anywhere; you just have to keep looking.
[All photographs are taken by and belong to Stephen Grover, please ask for permission if you wish to use them.]
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