Autumnal Arrivals - September 2022 Bird Report

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

Every year I await in eager anticipation of the arrival of Pale-bellied Brent Geese to Loch Ryan; for me, these birds in particular mark the onset of winter and the promise of a different range of species to our summer visitors. I associate the Brents with cold, northern latitudes, remote from the obvious intrusion of humans; as such they inhabit some of the last remaining wild places on our planet; and yet they choose to winter here on our doorstep.  That has to make them special, does it not?  It was on the morning of the 17th when I viewed Wig Bay through my spotting scope, from the comfort of my house, and spied my first Brents of the season: there were three of them nestled on the Scar: and as I gazed a tingling sensation ran down my spine in awe of the occasion.  I saw small numbers of them most days, thereafter, with a maximum count of 66 on the 28th.

Pink-footed Geese hold a similar fascination for much the same reasons that Brents do. I often find myself listening for they calls whenever the air is still.  It was not until the 23rd that I heard the characteristic ‘wink-wink’ sounds they utter, signalling to me their annual return. A few days later, on the 26th, a gaggle of 90 birds descended on the Connell Fields to feed.  Usually they do not occupy these grasslands until after the New Year.

It is not uncommon for Mute Swans to reach their annual peak on Loch Ryan during September.  A more than respectable 130 were at Bishop Burn on the 9th, which included the nesting pair, from Agnew Park in Stranraer, and their ten remaining offspring.

Just a single Shoveler was noted at Loch Connell on the 11th. Here also, but on the 25th, were 26 Teal.  Five Wigeon flew south past the Scar on the 2nd, and 76 were there on the 30th.  During a stop-off at Bishop Burn, on the 27th, I counted in excess of 300 of these plump ducks.  Loch Ryan holds many other wildfowl, too.  There were 68 Common Scoters on the 19th, two drake Velvet Scoters on the 17th, and 219 Eiders on the 12th.  My first returning Goldeneye to the sea-loch was on the 19th when I noted three at the Wig.  I also had eight counts of over 100 Red-breasted Mergansers, the highest being an impressive 208 at the Wig on the 17th.

Female Shoveller (left) amongst 2 duck Mallards

Although Black-throated Divers might be considered regular visitors to Loch Ryan, sightings are, generally, few and far between.  One on the 20th was thus a welcome addition to the month’s log.  Red-throated Divers are far commoner.  The species was present throughout September, with my highest count being 77 on the 29th, which included a closely bunched raft of 30 birds. Great Crested Grebes were undoubtedly under-recorded; I saw an atypical gathering of 34 at the Wig on the 19th. I had only three sightings of Red-necked Grebe: individuals on the 10th, 12th and the 19th.  Experience, however, has taught me that this species can be elusive and highly mobile, making finding any on the approx. 42 sq. km of sea-loch something of a challenge.  Slavonian Grebes are smaller still than the preceding species but, because they are more plentiful, there is a greater likelihood of them being encountered.  They were noted on seven days across the month, with a peak count of 14 on the 19th.

There was an expected reduction in the number of Gannets visiting Loch Ryan this month, compared to August.  My highest count was 67 on the 28th.  The first juveniles of the year were noted on the 27th, when two grey-brown birds passed by the Scar almost unnoticed, merging with the dull tones of the sea on that day.

Cormorants and Shags are renowned for ‘hanging their wings out to dry’, as it were.  When doing this they appear somewhat reptilian to my eyes and reminiscent of dinosaurs from a bygone era.  One or two of them seen adopting this stance might not seize the viewer’s attention, but a long line of them - like the 59 Cormorants I saw on the Scar, on the 7th - cannot fail to draw notice: each one a likeness of the others, with wings held spread in an heraldic pose.   Some of the 130 Shags I saw on the Cairnryan Pier, on the 28th, also held this pose; similarly, their beaks were angled towards the heavens, as if praising the Gods for a delicious repast!  But perhaps I am being too anthropomorphic and they were, in reality, just drying their wings and digesting their fishy meal.

In an improvement upon last month’s passage of waders at the Wig, there were 19 species recorded.  There were two Bar-tailed Godwits on the 17th, a smattering of Black-tailed Godwits, including three on the 6th, two Curlew Sandpipers on the 18th and another on the 28th.  The largest flock of Dunlins was 52 on the 21st.  Numbers of Golden Plovers steadily increased as the month progressed, beginning with three on the 7th and closing with a flock of 340 on the 28th.  In contrast, just a single Grey Plover was present on the 22nd and 23rd.

Bar-tailed Godwits feeding on the shore

Of particular note was a lone Lapwing on the 28th; ten years ago this species was a regular visitor to the Wig Fields and Bay.  My, how quickly have their circumstances changed!  A Little Stint at the Scar, on the 21st, was another unusual turn-up, whilst a party of four Purple Sandpipers there on the 28th was unprecedented, in my memory.  The plumage of Ringed Plovers camouflaged them well amongst the pebbles and cobbles of the Scar where they favour hunkering down. I did, however, succeed in counting a flock of 60 of them here on the 25th.  A Ruff took refuge in the same area on the 28th, concealing itself amongst a party of 46 Turnstones.  Spring is a good time to see Whimbrel about the Wig, autumn not so: one bird on the 17th was my only record.

Good viewing conditions are necessary for the accurate counting of any species in the field. Fortunately, this was so on the 15th, when I saw a large flock of Common Gulls assembled on the Scar beach. There were precisely 150 birds.  Similarly, favourable conditions prevailed on the 12th when I logged in excess of 570 Herring Gulls on the same stretch of beach.  Counting birds individually in such sizeable flocks takes time.  And there are few things worse for a counter than for the birds to lift off and redistribute just when the last bunch of birds to be registered are within sight.  Should they resettle, it is possible to painstakingly start from one again and hope they remain put for the duration of another count. Or, you could guesstimate the number of tail-enders, and add them to the tally already accrued.  Such are the trials facing an ornithologist!  I had no such problem to overcome when a single Kittiwake passed the Scar on the 26th, or when the second-winter Mediterranean Gull dropped in at the Wig on the 22nd.  Sandwich Terns were - perhaps not surprisingly - thin on the ground (and in the air!) this month.  Seven was the most I saw, at Bishop Burn on the 11th, whilst three were present off the Scar at the month’s end, on the 30th.

Calm, still days are preferable for when trying to assess the status of Black Guillemots about Loch Ryan. I logged 89 of them on the 19th. I had two records of Guillemot: singletons on the 6th and 20th.  Sightings of Razorbills were more frequent and spread across the month, with the highest count of 23 on the 16th. 

The local Peregrines can be surprisingly elusive, but, whenever they hunt over the Scar their presence is easily detected upon seeing flocks of panic-stricken birds rising into the air and swirling about in a frenzy.  A female had exactly this effect on the 21st. 

A Peregrine claims the Scar after scaring away all other birds

The passage of House Martins peaked early on in the month, with 120 on the telegraph wires beside Kirranrae Farm, on the 8th.  In contrast, the highest number of Swallows was on the 25th, when a flock of 65 was registered.  A single Sand Martin was noted on the 19th and four more were observed on the 25th.

My garden attracted a Blackcap on the 23rd and a Willow Warbler on the 25th and 30th: all were birds sporting a first-winter plumage.  A Mistle Thrush seen on the Corsewall Estate was a welcome sight on the 12th; supposedly a common species elsewhere they are something of a scarcity on my patch.  Wheatears are always noteworthy; following one at Piltanton Estuary, seen during a Wetlands Bird Survey count on the 11th, I had four observations at the Wig during the latter half of the month, including two distinctive looking birds of the Greenland race on the 21st.  Solitary Grey Wagtails were encountered on the 21st, 26th and the 28th whist a contingent of nine Pied Wagtails was seen foraging in the Wig Fields on the 21st and the 29th. No ‘White Wagtails’ were observed but perhaps they may appear in the following month’s blog posting. Meanwhile Greenfinches have begun to trickle through, with a high of just eight along the Wig track on the 28th. Twite probably arrived considerably earlier, though it is hard to be certain exactly when, on account of the difficulty in distinguishing species of finches within distant flocks.  Linnets generally depart the area fairly early in the season only to be replaced, in the main, by Twite later on; the cross-over period is however broad to say the least and both species mix freely.  Some 120 Linnets observed on the 23rd most probably included Twite amongst their ranks, whilst the 140 birds seen on the 27th were definitely Twite.