A Ghost in the Woods - August 2022 Bird Report

This article and the images contained within were provided courtesy of the author, S. Grover

The two Pink-footed Geese reported on in July’s issue of this blog were still present at Loch Connell until at least the 14th.  The assembly of Mute Swans on Loch Ryan continued to rise as the month progressed, reaching 86 birds on the 30th.

The first Shoveler of the autumn period was observed at the Wig, on the 26th, in the company of a single Teal.  The latter species was present at Loch Connell from the 14th onwards, with the highest count being 14 on the 28th.  The first returning Wigeon - to the Wig, at least - was on the 27th when two birds were observed.  The largest count of Common Scoters was later in the month, with 32 on the 29th.  One of Loch Ryan’s main-stay species, the Eider, peaked earlier on at 242 on the 6th.  Parties of Red-breasted Mergansers were, as usual, highly mobile making it difficult to ascertain their true numbers.  However, a raft of 65 was noted at Soleburn on the 21st and 79 loafed off-shore of the beach at Kirkcolm on the 29th.

Small numbers of Red-throated Divers were spread across the month, beginning with two on the 6th, rising to 11 on the 30th.  A Red-necked Grebe was seen pretty much daily at the Wig.  An adult was certainly present but a juvenile seen there on the 12th indicated that more than one bird was attributable for the sightings; indeed, two birds together were observed on the 31st. Slavonian grebes typically arrive during September, but there could be no mistaking the two handsome, summer-plumaged birds at the Wig on the 31st.

I had just one sighting of a Little Egret: a singleton at the Wig on the morning of the 14th.  An interesting record in itself but made more so by the fact that it was a juvenile bird.  This raises the question: was it the consequence of a local breeding pair or had it come from outside of the region?  The species is known to be steadily increasing its occupancy of Britain but as yet there have been few confirmed breeding records in Scotland.

A young little Egret on the wing

Cormorants, on account of their large size and tendency to form linear gatherings when on land - reminiscent of a locomotive and it’s carriages on a railway - are often a conspicuous feature on the Scar and the derelict pier at Cairnryan.  The first mentioned site held 72 birds on the 24th, whilst the second mentioned was strung with 60 Shags on the same day.

Manx Shearwaters are generally scarce visitors to Loch Ryan during August.  This year proved to be no exception: just a single bird on the 1st. Gannets were recorded daily, with a high of 128 on the 3rd.  Like the shearwaters, the sea-going auks are also scarce at this time.  The resident Tysties, or Black Guillemots, are seen more often, for sure, but can be elusive away from their breeding stations: just 18 was the largest count, on the 30th. Guillemots were noted at the month’s end, with four on the 29th and a singleton on the 30th.  A lone Razorbill was observed on the 24th and five on the 30th.

In my youth I grew up with vociferous Moorhens on every field pond and in every wet ditch about my home.  The move to Kirkcolm, some decades later, mooted a re-evaluation in my perception because here they are seemingly scarce, shy and elusive.  A juvenile spied on the pool at the outlet of the Corsewall Burn was a joyous occasion on the 17th.  But even this event was surpassed by the sighting of seven Grey Partridges on the Wig Fields during the early hours of the morning of the 15th.  Once a common farmland bird it has since been consigned to the pages of history in many parts of Britain.

There was a smattering of records of godwits this month, following the established pattern of previous years.  First up were two Bar-tailed Godwits at Bishop Burn, on the 4th, then a couple of Black-tailed Godwits at the Wig, on the 6th.  At this latter site, on the 27th, two birds each of both species were seen feeding side-by-side, making for a delightful comparison between the lanky, elegant, Black-tailed’ and the more compact form of the the Bar-tail’.  There was a good passage of Curlews with notably fewer birds (60 on 24th) about the Wig compared to at the southern end of the sea-loch (110 seen from Bishop Burn on the the 4th).  A Wetland Bird Survey count at Piltanton, on the 21st, registered 146 birds.  Dunlin tended to be seen in small groups, with a high of 34 at Bishop Burn on the 4th.  The only observation of a Greenshank came from Loch Connell, on the 14th, when a lone bird was present.  Also from this site came the only records of Lapwings on the local patch, with the highest count of 14, on the 14th, no less.  Knot were observed at the Scar on several dates across the month, appearing in small parties, with a maximum of nine birds on the 15th.  A surprise visitor here on the evening of the 22nd was a Little Stint.

A Little Stint among a small flock of Ringed Plover

The smaller number of birds seen about the Wig and Scar compared to the shore-line at Stranraer (from the railway station round to Low Balyett) is mirrored by numerous species and is not peculiar to Curlews alone.  Oystercatchers are amongst the most conspicuous of these.  As an example, on the 4th of the month, 54 were recorded on the Scar whilst a whopping 687 were registered in a count made at Bishop Burn; the distance between the two locations being approximately six miles. This dominance does not always work in favour of the the southern end of Loch Ryan.  The pebbly spit of land known as the Scar tends to harbour many more Ringed Plovers than do the sandy flats at the seafront on the edge of town.  That said, August is not always the best month for seeing what I would consider to be good numbers of these plovers, although 84 at the Scar on the 19th and 72 there on the 24th were respectable enough counts.

Even without trying (read: concerted effort) I registered six sightings of Ruff during the month, from the 16th onwards.  Five of these were from the house.  Now there’s lazy for you!  The 19th was especially rewarding with a fine party of eight birds assembled on the Scar.  A close run of Sanderlings over a six day period at the Wig produced a veritable range of plumages to ogle - and these sandpipers are very oglable(!), it has to be said - ranging from glorious summer-plumaged adults alongside more dishevelled-looking birds, to fresh, crisply marked juveniles.  My highest count for the species may only have been 16 birds, on the 20th, but what a wondrous feast they were to behold.  Snipe are no less delectable birds to see; the difficulty is in getting a decent view that allows an appreciation of their plumage.  When they tower and fly high - like all of those I saw at the Scar, Loch Connell, and over my house - the intricate markings and patterns on their feathers can rarely be observed and the only recourse is to consult an illustration in a bird book.

Turnstones are generally easier to observe at the Wig than Snipe.  However, their very different tones and markings are equally adept at hiding them from view when amongst the sea-weed and pebbles of their preferred haunts.  My highest count for the month was of 18 birds on the 19th.  Whimbrel are scarce on autumn passage at Loch Ryan: just a single bird was noted, on the 4th.

Much as I prefer to study gulls there are times when they must take a back-seat, and this month is one of them.  However, I would be remiss in my authoring duties if I did not mention the juvenile Kittiwake nestled amongst its more abundant cousins at Bishop Burn on the 4th.  Likewise, I must skimp over Sandwich Terns, though not without proffering the 14 at the same location, also on the 4th, and the 13 resting on the Scar on the 24th.

Kittiwake (front left) alongside a Common, Black-headed and Herring Gull

Time now to introduce this month’s ‘hooked beaks and claws’ section: alias, birds of prey.  Not that there were many sightings but each was notable in its own way.  My wife and I enjoyed the view of an Osprey flying low over the house and heading towards Loch Connell, shortly after tea-time, on the 23rd.  Always a scarce bird in these parts and forever a treat to regard.  Buzzards: I had feared that something amiss might have happened to our local birds because I hadn’t seen, or heard, them for quite some while.  Fortunately, those qualms were misplaced when I happened upon a very noisy juvenile, on the 17th.  Its persistent begging calls reminded me of an incident on the 6th that my wife recounted to me after visiting Castle Kennedy Gardens: ‘squeaking gate sounds’, she described, coming from the top of a conifer.  The bird in question could only have been a hungry, young, Long-eared Owl.  The final incident involved a Tawny Owl on the Corsewall Estate.  Over the years I have been fortunate to encounter many of these birds on my travels, in both the brown and grey phases of their plumage.  Nothing I had witnessed before, however, prepared me for the extraordinary sight that confronted my gaze on the 17th: a leucistic ‘Tawny’.  Not just a bird with a few pale feathers dotted here and there, but a wholly pale bird with piercing black eyes - its plumage marked and patterned as you would expect a ‘Tawny’ to be, but lacking any dark tones. Wow!

A ghostly pale Tawny Owl looks down from above

If you have read thus far you will realise that there have been no major rarities on report.  That now changes, thanks to my wife. Her keen senses picked out a Bee-eater, which she probably never would have been alerted to had she not recently experienced the species breeding in Norfolk this year.  For our part it was just a routine WeBS count at Piltanton, on the 21st, made remarkable by the all too brief observations of a resplendent and beautiful bird.

The number of hirundines passing over the village of Kirkcolm should increase during September if previous years are anything to go by.  Until then, I can only report on those observed in August.  Swallows showed no significant passage: 65 being the largest flock, on the 15th.  House Martins, however, showed a marked increase with 16 on the 12th, rising to 28 on the 17th, then 42 on the 25th, in excess of 140 on the 26th, and some 600 on the 31st.

Warblers, when they are not in song - and sometimes even when they are - can be an elusive bunch of birds.  At migration hot-spots, where birds are often concentrated, they are usually easier to pick out than when they pass through the broader landscape where they frequently go undetected.  The Wig and its surrounds are not renowned for warblers.  I was just grateful to record a Blackcap, a Chiffchaff, two Sedge Warblers, a Whitethroat and a couple of Willow Warblers during a walk on the 17th.

A party of three Spotted Flycatchers on the edge of a copse, not one hundred yards from my house, was a most pleasant surprise on the 7th.  The first of the autumn’s Wheatears was spied at the Wig on the 24th.  On the same day two migrating Tree Pipits were detected near the shore-line - a place I would ordinarily expect to find a Rock Pipit.  Indeed, five of the latter species were noted on this stretch of beach several days earlier, on the 17th.

Every year in early autumn I eagerly anticipate logging 100 plus House Sparrows in my garden.  It is a human thing, I guess: to feel secure in the predictable. This was duly fulfilled, this autumn, on the 18th.

Flocks of twittering Goldfinches are always a delight to see and hear.  Upon encountering 20 birds at the Wig, on the 8th, it was not difficult to understand how the phrase ‘a charm of Goldfinch’ came into being.  No less gratifying was a flock of 400 Linnets on the same day.  And finally, once again thanks are due to my wife for reporting to me another scarcity in these parts - a Yellowhammer, which she glimpsed in a hedgerow whilst driving past Soleburn, on the 6th.

Happy birding!