An Early Autumn Abundance: Bird Report for 03/08/20 - 09/08/20

Summer may be coming to an end but we're still getting some excellent weather, and some great birds to go along with it. We've seen a lot of birds over these past few weeks, but amazingly we are set to get even more as Autumn and Winter approach. Many of our wintering birds have started to arrive already, whilst many summer species are just preparing to leave. With so many birds around, there is always something exciting to see, and we expect to only get more as Autumn rolls around. 

This week I thought we should start with some smaller birds, after all, they're often overlooked in favour of larger, easily recognizable birds. I myself have the bad habitat of lumping them all together into "small brown jobs" that will go unidentified unless they helpfully land nearby. We start off with Linnets, of which we saw small (14-22) flocks throughout the week. A bird we haven't seen in a while is the Rock Pipit. They breed locally, however since they prefer rock cavities for nests, they are often further up on the coast.  Another such returning species is the Wheatear. Normally they are returning from breeding grounds in Greenland, however the few birds we saw were British birds. They will all be making their way to Africa soon enough, and we expect to see more of them in the coming days.  To make way for these species we have to see some leave, and fortunately, we were able to get a glimpse of a Reed Bunting before it moves to a warmer habitat. 

Rock Pipits can be quite hard to spot when they remain still

Scaling up a bit, and this week has been good for ducks. Eiders are a staple on the loch, and once again they have been gathering in their hundreds. Another wintering species is the Red-breasted Merganser, which normally breeds in freshwater lakes before redistributing across the Uk. Winter will see many more ducks arriving on our waters, and so in the coming weeks we'll keep our eyes peeled for Common Scoter, Goldeneye, and Long-tailed Ducks. Up at Loch Connell there has been a good variety as well, alongside regular Mallards and Teal, our first Tufted Duck has made its way back to the Loch.

Back at the Wig, and we're beginning to see more of the seabirds leaving their nesting site on Ailsa Craig. Last week we had a Guillemot, and now we've supplemented that with a pair of Razorbills. Whilst still seabirds, Black Guillemots are not unusual to see around the Wig, and this week we recorded 12 on a single day. Finally, Gannets are still fishing in the Loch in good numbers, with a max count of 69 birds on Wednesday. 

Waders are a constant around the Wig, and it seems that we get many different species on a day by day basis. Curlews remain here all year round, however many also migrate and so that may explain our recent boost in records, with regular sightings of over 40 birds in a day. Alas, our Whimbrels seem to have completely left us now for the warmer shores of Africa, but at least you don't have to worry about muddling them up with Curlews any more! We've also seen good numbers of Ringed Plover and Turnstone this week, with maximum flock sizes of 60 and 19 respectively. Finally, back up Loch Connell we've seen a surge in Lapwing numbers, with a mighty 17 birds recorded this past weekend. 

As always there are some stand out species that are particularly interesting, or irregular and so always exciting to see. Swifts have been very scarce around the Wig this year, but not so over in Stranraer. This week we had a record of 24 Swifts above the hospital, an impressive count indeed. Back on the Wig we had a female Sparrowhawk, and then later in the week a juvenile Mediterranean Gull.  

Catching a hedgehog in your garden is such a delight

Recently we added Hedgehog to our garden list, and this week we've expanded it further with yet another mammal. On quite a few evenings we've seen the rapid movement and distinct fluttering forms of bats. Thanks to our handy Bat-detector which measures the frequency of their sonar calls, we were able to identify them as Pipistrelles. There are many bats that roost in different locations around the village, but we don't often see them over our garden, and so to record 5 was a lovely surprise. 

That about wraps it up for this week. As always this was just a selection of the many things we saw, and going into the coming weeks I am sure that we will see plenty more exciting birds as well.

[All photographs were taken by and belong to Stephen Grover, please ask for permission if you wish to use them.]

Flying High: Bird Report for 27/07/20 - 02/08/20

Another month has sped by, and with it, the summer days are starting to dwindle. Whilst this will mean more cold and wet days for us, for the birds this is a very exciting time, as they undergo their autumn migration back to their wintering grounds. Many species will winter here in the UK, and even those that are heading for warmer lands in the south will pass through us, so there's the possibility of a lot of exciting records. We didn't have to wait long for something to turn up, as this week we had a bunch of rarities, including two new species for the blog!

Before we get to those, I thought we should have a look at what we've been seeing in our garden this week. We can get a great variety of species, it all depends on the weather (and whether we remember to put some bird food out!). Alongside staples like Jackdaws, Robins, and House Sparrows, this week we saw a Coal Tit, a juvenile Willow Warbler, and a Carrion-Hooded Crow Hybrid. These latter two species are almost genetically identical, meaning that this hybrid bird will also be able to breed. Normally the two prefer the aesthetic of their own species and so don't normally mix, resulting in a distinct separation between the two all across Europe. We still occasionally see the odd hybrid, and this one is practically a garden regular at this point. 

Our Hybrid Crow obligingly poses on posts regularly

Down on the Scar we are starting to see the impact of the migration, as many of the species that bred here are now few and far between. This is perhaps most notable in our Terns, of which we only had 6 Sandwich Terns this week. Of Common and Arctic Terns we've seen no sign of for the past few weeks, however in their place we found something very exciting. A single Roseate Tern is a rare visitor for us, and so an exciting occasion. Seeing three in one go however was truly a spectacle, a first for us in our 12 years here. These had most likely come across from Ireland, taking a break before continuing the journey down to Africa. Even if they were no longer in their pink breeding plumage, they were still a fantastic sight to see, and a great species for this blog. 

Whilst breeding birds may be disappearing from the Scar, newly arrived waders are quickly making up their numbers. This week their numbers included Black-tailed Godwits, a Redshank, a small flock of Dunlin, and our first returning Common Sandpiper. We'll be keeping a close eye on waders going forwards, as we get large numbers wintering here, which can turn up all sorts of surprise records. 

Last week saw a juvenile Peregrine practicing its hunting technique on small birds, well this week it decided to increase the difficulty level. Gannets are not normally a prey option (unless they are exceptionally hungry), after all they are larger than Peregrines. They certainly make for large targets however, and so this young bird was practicing its swoops and dives whilst the Gannets carried on in relative safety. 

Moving up to Loch Connell, we've had quite a few unusual records this week. Whilst the water seemed initially bereft of anything beside Mallards, eventually we picked out the small shape of a Little Grebe. Meanwhile, in the surrounding fields a flock of 182 Greylag Geese rested for a while. Amongst them was a very surprising bird and brand new species, a Bar-headed Goose. These natively inhabit much of Asia and are famed for being one of the highest-flying species, crossing the Himalayan Peaks on their migration. Because of this and their striking appearance, they are relocated and bred in captivity. This bird is therefore probably an escapee who then joined up with the first other geese it found. Nonetheless, it is still a very interesting record, and a good example of why you should always check your flocks of geese, you never know what they might turn up!

It certainly helps when rarities are this obvious!

Finally, we have an assorted mix of species from all over the Wig that I couldn't squeeze into their own paragraphs. These include birds out on the loch like a Guillemot and a Red-throated Diver, as well a Whitethroat in the hedgerows, and up in the woods, a Spotted Flycatcher. Mammals have been staying somewhat hidden this week, but we still managed to surprise some Roe Deer, whilst up at Loch Connell a lone Fox was seen running through the fields. 

And so with that, another month comes to a close. July marks the end of summer, and though you wouldn't always know it, it's often our quietest season of the year. From here on out the Wig is going to be bustling with activity, and we'll be sure to tell you all about it.

[All photographs were taken by and belong to Stephen Grover, please ask for permission if you wish to use them.]

The Approach of Autumn: Bird Report for 20/07/20 - 26/07/20

Whilst we might still be having the sunny days of summer, autumn is fast approaching, and beyond that, many birds are preparing for winter. This week we have had a noticeable amount of returning species, whilst our summer birds have become scarcer and scarcer. Whilst we are sad to see some species go, autumn and winter see the greatest amount of birds on our shores, and so we are looking forward to the interesting records we hope to get in the coming days. 

I thought the last blog was bursting with raptors, but somehow we managed to record even more this week. Alongside our regular buzzards, we also had several sparrowhawks, including a female, and an adult-juvenile duo on the edge of the estate. Peregrines have been exceptionally active this week, with records of sightings (and calls) on five of the seven days. Many of these were likely the same juvenile birds from before, indeed one was seen practicing its hunting techniques as it repeatedly chased down birds around the Wig. 

Golden Plovers are truly majestic birds

It certainly had its choice of waders to hunt from, as this week we've had a variety that rivals our peak winter counts. Oystercatchers are present all year round, but we're also seeing our Curlew numbers rise up again, with small flocks of 20-30 birds recorded daily. Redshanks have only recently returned to the Wig; it was very nice to see three Greenshanks alongside them, as well as a lone bird up at Loch Connell. We also had some small flocks of Dunlin, Sanderling and Turnstone throughout the week. Ringed Plovers have also been building in numbers recently, with a peak count of 40 birds on Thursday. What was very exciting to see was the presence of some Golden Plovers. Whilst we have seen them at Piltanton previously, these were the first Golden Plovers recorded on the Wig this year, and we look forward to having several more when winter rolls around. 

Last week we had the rare pleasure of seeing a Yellow-legged Gull, and I'm happy to say that individual bird may still be about since we had another record this week. We had many of our regular Gulls as well, including Black-headed, Common, Lesser Black-backed and Greater Black-backed Gulls. However one rarity just wasn't enough, and so we complemented it with an adult Mediterranean Gull. Normally we see juvenile birds, and once autumn is upon us we shall hopefully see more of these handsome birds. 

Elsewhere on the loch Eiders have been gathering in large flocks again. This week our highest count was 393 males and 3 females, so it was easy to miss the small flock of Common Scoter that took an early respite here. Keeping up the larger numbers, the Greylag Geese have been starting to flock together, with 180 and 360 at Soleburn and Loch Connell respectively. These are tiny flocks compared to the many thousands we have had in previous winters, but they are a sure sign of more Geese to come. On both occasions, we also saw some Canada Geese mixed in. At Soleburn the small flock of 14 were likely traveling past with the Greylags, whilst the four up at Loch Connell (adult and 3 juveniles) are summer residents having successfully bred here. 

As always we get loads of different records across the week, far too many to go over every species individually. Its definitely worth pointing out a few more though, such as the Jay and Great-spotted Woodpeckers we saw on the Corsewall Estate. We also had a Raven, whilst up at Loch Connell, we saw the illusive Moorhen. Finally, we rounded out the week with a Lapwing and a trio of Reed Buntings. 

Hundreds of these Caterpillars can be found on Ragwort around the Wig

Finally a quick look at our mammals and insects. This week was good for butterflies, and we saw a Small Tortoiseshell, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Common Blue, Peacock, Small White, Red Admiral and a Green-Veined White. On the Moth side, we had several Six-spot Burnets, and hundreds of Cinnabar moth caterpillars. For mammals, we had Bottle-nosed Dolphins in the loch for the 4th week running, whilst closer to shore a Common Seal lazed in the receding tide. To top it all off we had a plucky Hedgehog venture into our garden, who would return later in the week under cover of darkness. 

All in all its been another great week around the Wig. It won't be long till August is upon us, and with it, the seasons roll around into Autumn. This means another mass migration, and so hopefully amongst the passage of birds we will get some exciting species.

[All photographs were taken by and belong to Stephen Grover, please ask for permission if you wish to use them.]