A nice start to the month was the arrival of four Pale-breasted Brent Geese at the Scar on the 6th; thereafter, a small but regular passage of birds became evident. I logged a peak count of 84 birds on the 28th. My first Pink-footed Geese of the season were not until the 20th when two flocks of 120 and 100 birds, respectively, headed south above Loch Ryan.
It has been a while since I have seen any Black Swans on the sea-loch. In the past it has usually been a single bird involved, so imagine my surprise when I saw a party of four amongst a host of Mute Swans at Bishop Burn, on the 14th. The latter species was a familiar sight to me throughout the month with birds concentrated along the shore from Low Balyett to Bishop Burn. I registered a peak count of 102 birds on the 13th and the 29th. Two Whooper Swans were at the Wig on the 20th and were the first of the autumn season on my local patch. They were followed a few days later (the 23rd) by a noisy throng of 20 birds.
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| Black Swans with Mute Swans, at Bishop Burn |
A morning visit to the freshwater site of Loch Connell, on the 21st, resulted in multiple records of local interest. First off were two handsome drake Gadwall. These, however, were upstaged by the presence of a female Garganey. A duck Shoveler almost went unnoticed amongst a tangle of Reed Sweet-grass, whereas in excess of 100 Teal were conspicuous out on open water, having been disturbed from the margin by the feeding activity of an Otter. Lastly, a chocolate and russet coloured drake Wigeon (in eclipse plumage) was another first of the season on my home patch. The following week (on the 28th) a female type Pintail frequented the same body of freshwater.
Sightings of Common Scoter on Loch Ryan typically increase in September as passage and wintering birds begin to move through the area: a peak count of 116 on the 23rd was reasonable enough, slightly exceeding that for Eider, which came in at 111 on the 22nd. I saw the first of the ‘winter’s’ Goldeneye return to Wig Bay on the 16th - a female type - and presumably the same bird again on the 23rd. Over 100 Red-breasted Mergansers were recorded on ten days across the month, so confirming the importance of Loch Ryan for this species. I logged an impressive count of 179 birds on the 16th, yet this was surpassed earlier in the month (on the 4th) by a staggering 568 (including a single flock, 370 birds strong) - my highest here, ever!
I had heard on the birding grapevine that several Red-necked Grebes had been reported from the southern end of Loch Ryan. This information came as no surprise to me because in the calendar year September is the month that I typically associate with the arrival of this species to the said sea-loch. However, for my first sighting of the season I had to wait until the 23rd when two adults, still in their striking-looking breeding plumage, showed up at the Wig. Presumably they were the same birds I saw a few days later, on the 29th. I registered only two observations of Slavonian Grebes from that same location: a singleton on the 20th and a delightful 22 birds on the 23rd. A resplendent adult Great Northern Diver, wearing a chequered black and overcoat, brought cheer to my heart on the sullen day of the 21st as the tide carried the bird ever so slowly down the length of the loch. Small parties of Red-throated Divers were regular visitors across the month, with notable counts of 89 on the 23rd and 76 on the 28th.
There may never be seen vast numbers of waders on my local patch but there is often a diversity of species. September is usually a prime time to encounter many of these visitors but this year numbers of some species were low. A singleton Common Sandpiper was at the Scar on the 12th and a lone Curlew Sandpiper was at the same location on the 3rd. This same spit of land held very few Dunlin during the month, my highest count being a mere five birds on the 12th. Thankfully, Golden Plovers were more frequent and abundant, with a peak of 304 on the 27th. A singleton Greenshank was at the Wig on the 3rd and another was at Loch Connell on the 21st. My only observation of Knot was of four birds at the Scar on the 8th. As expected, Ringed Plover were recorded frequently, with highs of 70 on the 6th and 60, or so, on the 16th and 17th. The Scar also held three Ruff on the 3rd and the 16th: a rather poor showing for this, and for the next, Sanderling, which I logged a single party of four birds on the 12th. There were seven Snipe at Loch Connell on the 28th. My largest flock of Turnstone was 28 birds at the Wig on the 23rd, whilst finding 10 Whimbrel feeding in a grassland, on the 11th, was a welcome bonus.
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| Common Sandpiper, at the Scar |
Great Black-backed Gulls are big brutes. Their size alone makes them stand out from the crowd. Adults in particular are visually striking, whether they be alone or with others of their kind. A tight knit group of nine such powerful-looking birds, which stood in a grassland beside the Wig (on the 12th), were enough to raise goose-pimples on my skin and send shivers down my spine as I viewed them in close-up through the aid of my field scope. Slightly smaller are Herring Gulls, which can be no less fearsome looking than the preceding species. At this time of year I often see them in troops gathered about the Wig and Scar in regimented blocks, reminding me of those tactics deployed by the Duke of Wellington in the Battle of Waterloo. This species is also a familiar sight on the freshwater of Loch Connell: one such company, 447 birds strong, made for a fine sight on the morning of the 14th. Two adult Kittiwakes passed the Scar on the 2nd, as did seven birds (including a juvenile) on the 15th. An excellent count at Loch Connell was that of 33 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (23 being adults), on the 14th. A juvenile Little Gull was a surprise find at the Scar on the 3rd, while in the same general area I logged an adult Mediterranean Gull on the 4th, 5th and 23rd.
A single Arctic Tern sat on the Scar on the 8th. Three Common Terns frequented Wig Bay on the 3rd, with a singleton on the 14th and a party of four on the 8th. Sandwich Terns were considerably more frequent and abundant than the two preceding species, with observations spanning the month. High counts of 117 birds on the 3rd and 9th and 161 on the 10th were exceeded by flocks of 224 and 258 birds settled on the Scar on the 8th and 11th, respectively - least to say these were among several highlights of the month. And when there are so many terns on view there is always the expectation of skuas to accompany them. A pale morph Arctic Skua sat in isolation on the Scar on the 1st. A different pale phase bird harassed terns and small gulls, alike, in typical skua fashion as it manoeuvred its way across Wig Bay on the 6th. Yet another pale type bird caused similar panic and consternation on the 8th, as did a dark morph bird on the 9th and, presumably, another dark bird on the 16th. The potential victims of these attacks had good reason to complain…and complain they did...vociferously! I, on the other hand, was spell bound and captivated by these piratical visitors, which seldom venture to Loch Ryan.
The number of Gannets visiting the sea-loch was still strong in the early part of the month: a high of 62 birds was a more than respectable tally, in my mind. Most days in September were free of sightings of Black Guillemots…until, that is, the 23rd when ideal conditions prevailed and I successfully logged 154 - a better than excellent result that was well worth the frustration of waiting for suitable conditions to apply. During the month I had two observations of Guillemot on Loch Ryan: a singleton on the 17th and three on the 23rd. Like the preceding species, Razorbill were also noted twice, with two on the 3rd and an impressive aggregation of 50 on the 23rd.
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| Arctic Skua chasing Sandwich Terns |
The biggest number of Cormorants I logged was 52, on the 2nd, whilst my peak count of Shags was 218 (with 184 forming a convenient line along the length of the Cairnryan Pier) on the 23rd. Six Little Egrets congregated at the Wig, on the 12th. The presence of a large female Peregrine cleared the Scar of all other birds, on the 8th; she sat there, consuming her prey, undisturbed for a considerable length of time. A very dark-looking Peregrine similarly emptied the Scar on the 19th, as it pressed home an attack on the panic-stricken birds that twisted and swirled in the air after take-off in an attempt to evade capture. One Turnstone was not so fortunate as the others that escaped to live another day!
House Martins were in short supply, with just seven on the 4th and six - my last of the month - on the 23rd. Swallows faired a little better, being registered on six days, with the largest count of 31, also on the 23rd, and a singleton on the 27th being the last entry in my logbook.
Single Chiffchaffs were in my garden on the 2nd, 22nd and 23rd. A first-winter Melodious Warbler eating berries in my garden during pouring rain on the 3rd was both unexpected and extraordinary, if not monumental; not only is this species a rare bird in mainland Scotland it is the first - and in all probability, the last - that I will ever encounter within the humble setting of my garden…a great big, humongous, “Wow!” The Willow Warblers that I saw in my garden during the days that followed the aforementioned, and which consisted of singletons on the 11th, 15th, 20th, and a fantastic six birds on the 19th, did not somehow fill me with the same feeling of elation, despite being an excellent run of birds in their own right.
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| Immature Yellow Wagtail, at the Scar |
To wind up this month’s offering, I logged a party of four Mistle Thrushes (the first I have recorded on my patch in seemingly an age) on the 3rd, my first Redwings of the season - eight on the 29th; two Wheatears at the Wig, on the 23rd; and finally, and of particular interest, an immature Yellow Wagtail at the Scar (also on the 23rd) - the latter representing only my second or third record (if memory serves me correct) of this species on my local patch during my 17 year residency in Kirkcolm.
What delights may there be in store next month, I wonder?
This article and the accompanying images were provided courtesy of the author, S. Grover
