The Weather Affects All! Bird Report for January 2026.

My peak count of Canada Geese at Loch Connell this month was 204 on the 18th. Unusually, a lone individual was present at the Scar on the 8th. Pale-bellied Brent Geese were of course seen daily about the Wig, most often in the adjacent fields where they grazed the grassy sward. Flocks of over 200 birds were logged on 17 days, with the highest count of 384 on the 14th. On the same day, I noticed…with some despair…that out of a party of 252 Brents only four were juveniles.

Pink-footed Geese were heard more times than they were seen; I did however manage to register in excess of 260 at Loch Connell on the 4th. My only record of Mute Swan on my local patch also came from the aforementioned site - a singleton on the 28th. The same location held two Whooper Swans on the 12th and again on the 18th and just a single there on the 28th. A pair of Shelduck at the Pool Field on the 8th were my first of the new year; they were also the only ones of their type on my patch throughout the month.

A nice find at Loch Connell on the 4th was a party of three Pintail and a duck Shoveler. Three males of the latter species were present on the very same body of freshwater on the 18th, along with the highest monthly count of 188 Teal. My peak count of Wigeon also came from this site: 224 birds, on the 12th, whereas at the Wig my highest tally of this species was just 84 on the 28th.

The poor weather that dominated the month certainly affected my counts of Common Scoters on the sea-loch, with a high of 38 on the 8th and 9th. In complete contrast, I logged a minimum of 250 Eider, also on the 8th. But even if my efforts resulted in a very reasonable tally of the last mentioned species other users of Loch Ryan were well below parr and inline with the scoters. I saw few Goldeneye in Wig Bay but that was compensated for by a greater than usual number of birds at Loch Connell, with a peak count of 32 on the 8th. Back on the sea-loch and the largest party of Long-tailed Duck that I saw was 14 on the 1st.

The freshwater of Loch Connell held a single Pochard on the 12th and three on my next visits there on the 18th and 28th; one bird was a handsome drake (presumable the same bird from the first mentioned sighting), another a female, and the gender of the third bird I couldn’t quite decide upon. Tufted Duck was well represented on this same body of shallow water, with 38 present on the 18th and the 28th. A lesser number of Goosander were also here, with a high of 16 birds on the 2nd. On loch Ryan, my peak count of Red-breasted Merganser was just 30 birds, on the 8th.

At the time of writing I recall a very recent photograph that was sent to my daughter (and which she kindly shared with me) of a large group of Black-throated Diver close inshore off the coast of the Isle of Man. There were 29 birds, I am told. Geographically, this island lies only about 30 miles south of the Mull of Galloway, and the Rhins, but despite its close proximity I cannot say that I have ever seen so many of the present species close to my local patch, even when sea-watching from Corsewall Point, which is just around the corner, so to speak, from Loch Ryan. A mere two birds seen off the Wig on the 8th was my highest tally of this species during the month, and they were more than enough to raise my heartbeat: anymore might have been sufficient to induce a cardiac arrest!

Interestingly, I recorded Great Northern Diver on six, almost consecutive (not on the 11th), days up to and including the 12th of the month. I saw six birds on the 8th and three on the 9th, one of which was an adult in full breeding dress. Nice! Red-throated Diver was thin on the ground - or, should that be water - with a high of 28 on the 8th. Notable was the presence of four Great Crested Grebe (including a displaying pair - perhaps the same birds from last year?) At Loch Connell, on the 18th. Slavonian Grebe on Loch Ryan were sparse (according to my records, that is) with a peak count of 20 on the 8th.

Three Bar-tailed Godwit frequented the shoreline of the Wig for most of the month. Curlew are typically most numerous in the fields beside the sea-loch, or on the shore itself, but this January my peak count of the species came from Loch Connell where I registered 64 birds on the 28th. Dunlin, perhaps not surprisingly, were few: two consorted with a flock of Ringed plover on the Twite Field, on the 8th and 9th. The largest squadron of Golden Plover comprised 24 birds at the Scar on the 6th, whereas just a singleton Grey Plover occupied the same station on the 1st to the 4th, then again on the 17th. Six Knot were at the Scar on the 13th. More frequent here were Ringed Plover, with a peak of 60 birds on the 31st. Their white bellies often catch the light, betraying their presence to me even from a distance of over a kilometre away when I view the spit from the comfort of my house. The poor weather conditions have generally not been kind for armchair viewing so luck has played a significant part in many an observation this month.

To the layperson a Herring Gull is just ‘gull’. But to those who take a particular interest in the group of birds that science banners ‘gulls’, things are a bit more complex, with clinal and subspecies differences as well as intergrades and hybrids. Ignorance, it is said, is no excuse in the eyes of the law; but perhaps it is an acceptable, and understandable, one when it comes to the difficulty of determining type, wherever gulls are concerned!  But I digress…

A Herring Gull at the Scar, on the 7th, caught my eye. It was larger than its kindred and unlike them it’s back was a slightly but distinctly darker shade of grey. I surmised that it was a bird of the nominate subspecies (i.e. not the British form) and judging by the small amount of black it showed in its wing-tips that it was of ‘high arctic’ origin. Why was it here? Only the bird knows that, and seeing as it is unlikely to tell me…should I ever encounter it again... its presence will remain a mystery. Gulls are certainly never boring: you just have to be a person of a particular persuasion and mind-set in order to appreciate them, me thinks!

The persistent squalls and grey days that dominated the month meant that I saw few Tysties (Black Guillemots) on Loch Ryan. However, conditions were in my favour on the 8th and I successfully logged 28, several of which were already attired in their striking-looking black overcoats with bold white shoulder patches. Alas, they were just too distant for me to pick out their bright red legs which so exemplify the species and adds an extra sparkle to their appearance. The rough winds also resulted in there being few Shags sat atop the derelict pier at Cairnryan. During the same bright interval that I counted the preceding species, I registered a tally of 84 birds; none of them, however, were on the pier!

In the finches department, Bullfinch has become something of a regular entry within this blog of late. Like many so-called ‘common birds’ this species is perhaps more frequently occurring than ever my few records suggest. Its rather discrete behaviour probably accounts for this, and although colourful and boldly marked it is quiet - not necessarily shy - but elusive and wary. A male was once again seen on several occasions in my garden, plus I recorded a pair in ‘wilder’ habitat (marshy woodland, or carr) on the 8th. On the same day, I noted eight Greenfinch along the Wig track - my only record of the species during the month. I hadn’t seen any Lesser Redpoll on my local patch for seemingly an age, until the 5th when five birds flew over my garden, making a welcome return in my logbook.

The identification of distant flocks of finches is always going to be an issue when species determination is the order of the day. Experience has taught me that congregations of such birds on the fields at the Wig are likely to comprise of either Linnet, Twite, or both. This is especially the case when obvious markings cannot readily be observed, or characteristic calls heard. Falling into this category were flocks of 30, 50 and 40 birds, which were respectively logged on the 6th, 10th and 19th. A lone Siskin in my garden, on the 10th, was my only observation of this ‘common’ species during the month.

I round up this month’s posting by commenting upon several other species which, mainly out of an innate curiosity, peaked my interest. First off, Coot. And for this species I take you to Loch Connell - a delightful expanse of freshwater which at first glance might have any viewer thinking that it should support Coots galore. But in truth, it does not. An occasional pair may attempt to breed - once in a blue moon - but more typically they are relatively infrequent visitors in very small numbers: four birds on the 18th was a good count. Jay, as I have mentioned in previous postings, are now scarce birds on my patch. A singleton observed in the old cemetery on the Corsewall Estate, on the 8th, was a pleasant surprise. Similarly, a Kestrel seen over the village of Kirkcolm on the 17th resurrected fond memories of this once common species. There is something special about Ravens, which guarantees them my attention whenever I see or hear birds calling. To see a pair of birds is not unusual, largely because they breed on my door-step, so to speak; but on the 12th a party of three birds caught my eye, raising questions within me: ‘were they a family unit? Was it my local pair with another just tagging along for company, or were they just roving individuals that had come together from elsewhere to explore new territory?’ Redwing are said to be common winter visitors to Britain but where I live they are often few and far between, if my logbooks are any indication of their status locally. I was reminded of this when I registered a mere four birds on the 2nd, one on the 6th and four on the 18th. Skylarks also were thin on the ground this month. I had a single record of two birds at the Wig fields on the 7th. The same day I espied an unexpected visitor in the churchyard across the road from my house - a lovely pinky-ochre coloured Waxwing. A fitting bird on which to end, me thinks, so until next time, ‘may the birds ever be in your favour!’

This article was supplied courtesy of the author, S. Grover

Bird Report for December 2025

Who of us cannot marvel at what are perhaps the most attractive of the wild geese to visit Britain in significant numbers, the Barnacle. Appearing almost monochromatic in cold tones of black, grey and white, their crisp markings are immaculate to the human eye - well, mine at least. On the morning of the 21st, when I scanned the vista across from my house, I was delighted to see a party of 27 of these dapper birds grazing in a grassland that I have come to refer to as the Twite Field. They remained all day and for most of the following day, sometimes joined by the more familiar Brents but never really intermingling with them. I saw Pale-bellied Brent Geese daily from my house and recorded flocks of in excess of 300 birds on eleven occasions across the month, the peak count being 388 on the 4th and 5th. Despite the high numbers of these birds present I noticed that very few were juveniles, suggesting yet another poor breeding season for this species.

Wherever there are found agriculturally improved grasslands in combination with open freshwater then naturalised Canada Geese are likely to occur, in varying numbers. On my local patch these conditions are met with at Loch Connell, and to which flocks of ’honkers’ are no strangers. On the 28th of the month when the loch itself was half frozen over by blue-ice, 248 Canadas sought refuge on the shallow expanse, along with a similar number (233) of Greylags and 20 ‘Pinkies’ (Pink-footed Geese). From my house - which is east of this loch - I heard Whooper Swans calling on several days but only managed to catch sight of two birds on a visit to the said waterbody on the 21st. My daughter reported to me  seeing a single Shelduck at Bishop Burn, on the 5th; one was at the Wig on the 23rd, three there on the 26th and one at the Scar on the 31st.

A singleton Shoveler at Loch Connell on the 21st was my only record of this species all month. The same site held an impressive 560 Teal on the 7th and 39 were observed on the sea to the north of the beach at Kirkcolm, on the 12th. From the freshwater site of ‘Connell came a good count of 130 Wigeon, also on the 7th, whereas at the Wig my peak count of this species was 177, on the 12th. It was at Loch Ryan that my highest tally of 149 Common Scoters was logged on the 23rd, whilst for Eiders the peak was 292 on the 3rd, with, curiously, just one bird less a little later in the month on the 25th. I saw very few Goldeneyes about the Wig, with a high of 24 on the 15th, whilst at Loch Connell nine birds was the most I recorded, on the 21st. The Wig held a most excellent 19 Long-tailed Ducks (three of which were female) on the 23rd. A drake Pochard was at Loch Connell on the 7th and 21st, whilst on the 28th (when there much ice present) the same site hosted both a male and a female. At the same site, on the 7th, there was also an immature male Scaup and 28 Tufted Ducks, while the following week (14th) numbers of the latter species had risen to 34. Goosanders here peaked at 12 birds on the 28th whereas for their cousins, Red-breasted Mergansers, the highest number I recorded at Loch Ryan was 55, on the 1st.

A singleton Black-throated Diver was present on the sea-loch on the 6th. In comparison I am pleased to report that observations of Great Northern Divers were considerably more frequent, being logged on 12 days spanning the month, with a peak of 5 birds on the 6th. My highest count of Red-throated Divers here was 43 birds on the 23rd, just a few short of the peak count of 50 Slavonian Grebes on the same day.

I grew up with Curlews, so to speak, and have had a special fondness for them ever since. (At that time I lived in Leicestershire, where Curlew were rare breeders but I was lucky to have them on my doorstep). I consider myself fortunate that on most days whenever I look put from my present home across to the Wig I can see these distinctive waders. Admittedly, they are fewer in number compared to a few years past, but see them I still do. And that continues to bring warmth to my heart. This December - because of rain and wind … wind and rain .. then more of the same - the numbers of Curlew entered into my logbook have been relatively few. But on the 28th that tally boomed when I registered a princely 105 birds on the Wig fields - still lower than my historical records for the area show but a welcoming total, nonetheless. Alas, just four Dunlin at the Scar on the 25th was disappointing by comparison; I found consolation in approximately 160 Golden Plovers at the Scar on the 4th and the 31st, and three Grey Plovers there on the 1st.

Day seven of the month and Loch Connell crops up once again, this time in respect of an unusually high count of 58 Lapwings that I saw rise from the marshy ground on the eastern side of the site. Also unusual was the four I noticed at the Wig on the 31st. In excess of 163 Oystercatchers were counted in the Wig fields (on the 18th), which, although not an exceptional high number of birds is certainly more than is typical. The shore of the Wig itself, beside the car park, held 17 Redshanks at high tide on the 24th.

A classic ‘biscuit- coloured’, first-winter, Glaucous Gull made a brief appearance on the Scar during the early morning of the 24th. Alas, I never saw it again and I know of no other person that did, either. 14 Kittiwakes passed the same spit of land on the murky day of the 10th. A pair of Little Auks did the very same thing on the 3rd, heading in the direction of Stranraer. Instantly recognisable by their direct flight on rapidly whirring wings and, of course, their diminutive size, they were utterly unexpected visitors but that in itself, I find, is one of nature’s tantalising attractions.

After mentioning the Cormorants at Loch Connell in the November issue of this blog, I did not expect to be following that up this month with 16 birds there on the 7th. There were no flamboyant bouts of fishing this time around: all of them stood upright on the bank, with wings pressed firmly against their sides, half-dozing in the morning light. Funnily enough, 132 Shags were doing much the same on the pier at Cairnryan, on the 3rd. What I think to be an exciting discovery was seeing a Little Egret roosting in a tree close to a local heronry, on the 23rd. This species often nests among other herons and although a tad early (or late, depending how you look at it), I shall be keeping a watchful eye on things in the weeks and months ahead.

It has been a few years now since Hen Harriers used breed a few short miles (as the crow flies) from my house; consequently, sightings of this species on my patch have become fewer with the passage of time, occurring now as only rare visitors. I saw a rather stunning-looking adult male float low over the Wig fields on the 29th. His passage went unmarked, disturbing neither other small nor large birds into flight on his unwavering journey west towards Connell, then out of sight. The memory of those all too brief moments remain as strong in my mind now, as I write, as when the event itself transpired. Isn’t nature wonderful!

A male Blackcap visited my garden on the 18th, 20th, 21st and 22nd. Where he went after, I know not. A total of 72 Fieldfares was recorded on the 21st, with just two the next day - overall a disappointing turnout but perhaps not unexpected. A Kingfisher was a delightful surprise find at the pool where the Corsewall Burn outlets into Loch Ryan, on the 3rd. But no sooner had I espied it and it was gone, disappearing somewhere upstream.

Both the presence and the numbers of Meadow Pipits fluctuate widely on my local patch, suffice to say that they are not as common here as other folk might suppose. A party of 15 birds on the Wig fields was thus notable on the 3rd, I thought. Also noteworthy on the very same fields was a flock of 86 Skylarks, on the 12th. Treecreepers are undoubtedly more common than my few records ever suggest because visually they are rarely obvious and their thin high calls, which might otherwise betray their presence, are lost to mine ears these days. One bird, however, was in my garden on the 29th - not spiralling up the trunk of a tree (which I don’t have), as is usual behaviour, but, of all things, seen working its way along a concrete seat! A single Tree Sparrow was again in my garden, on the 16th and 17th.

I close this month’s report with that age old duo and confusion species’, Twite and Linnet. Each of them when seen well, or heard calling, present few identification problem to persons familiar their respective characteristics. However, when viewed from afar and, especially when occurring in mixed flocks, either together or with other species eg Chaffinch and Goldfinch, then difficulties arise for the birdwatcher; such situations can also make counting them with any accuracy a considerable challenge. On the 3rd of the month that very scenario presented itself when a mixed flock of small birds, perhaps 600 strong, hugged the cattle trampled fields at the Wig. Using any suitable device to capture a series of digital images can aid greatly in the assessment of both the numbers of birds involved and the species present, so providing either confirmation, or a guide, to solving the matter in hand. The particular flock in question seemed to comprise some 300 Twite and about 250 Linnets, with Chaffinches, Goldfinches and a few Meadow Pipits making up the rest. Isn’t this fun, what ho!

This article was provided courtesy of the author, S. Grover