Pale-bellied Brent Geese were seen almost daily about the Wig, with numbers averaging around 130 birds (peak count of 190, on 17th) up to mid-month; there were notably fewer thereafter, with just 16 on the 28th. Pink-footed Geese, by comparison, were noted on only two occasions: a singleton off the Scar on the 1st and a flight of some 100 birds heading north on the 23rd. Mute Swans were equally scarce on my patch, with four at Loch Connell on the 21st being the only record. The same site held ten quarrelsome Shelducks on the 14th, along with a drake and duck Pintail and 17 Teal the following week, on the 21st. Wigeon had disappeared from this location considerably earlier in the month, my last record being of eight birds on the 7th.
Loch Ryan harboured the usual selection of sea-faring waterfowl, including a high of 234 Common Scoters (on the 24th) and possibly the last of the wintering Goldeneyes - a singleton on the 11th. Numbers of Long-tailed Ducks peaked at 27, on the 2nd, and there were still two males present on the 24th. A more than satisfactory count of 104 Red-breasted Mergansers was registered on the 2nd, and 65 on the 23rd.
The sea-loch also accounted for the majority of my grebe records during the month, and certainly for all of the divers that I logged. Two Red-necked Grebes in pristine breeding plumage were about the Wig on the 26th. More regular were Slavonian Grebes, including 15 summer plumaged dazzlers on the 1st, an impressive 29 the day after, and - possibly the last sighting of the season - five birds on the 14th. Alas, none of them came within range whenever I was toting my camera! A singleton Black-throated Diver, on the 13th, was my only observation of this species. Great Northern Divers faired better with seven records across the month, including two on the 24th. A Pacific Diver, still in winter apparel was a very nice surprise find at the Wig on the 5th. As per usual Red-throated Divers were the most common and abundant of the clan, with a peak count of 58 on the 23rd: most of these were still clad in winter attire.
Eleven species of wader was noted about the Wig and Scar on the 8th of the month, making it significantly richer than other day in this respect, given that the tally for the whole of April was 15 species. There were eight sightings of Bar-tailed Godwits spread across the month. All involved single birds at the Wig except for on the 11th and 12th when two were noted. All of them appeared in grey and white winter dress. In contrast, a handsome Black-tailed Godwit, seen here on the 9th, sported an immaculate summer outfit coloured in sumptuous brick-red, black, grey and white. It was yet another bird that escaped my camera! My highest count of Curlews came, somewhat surprisingly, not from the Wig but from Loch Connell on the 7th, when 15 were present. Numbers of this species on my patch dwindle at this time of year, with most wintering birds having already left for their breeding grounds. Four were seen at the Wig on the 27th. The first Common Sandpipers of the spring weren’t logged until the 16th, when two were observed at the beach in Kirkcolm. Dunlin were scarce; two at Loch Connell on the 14th was an unusual sighting, as indeed was a Green Sandpiper also here on the same date. On the 8th the Scar held three Knot, 95 Ringed Plovers, a Sanderling and two Whimbrel. The latter species was also seen on another six occasions across the month, including 31 at the Scar on the 23rd, and three at Loch Connell on the 28th. A Woodcock, observed sitting close to a public footpath, was an unexpected find on the 2nd.
There were two observations of Kittiwake logged: a singleton on the 9th, followed by party of 58 on the 13th. Two Arctic Terns at the Wig on the 7th were very much bonus birds. Their arrival was well early compared with previous years. The passage of Sandwich Terns continued from last month, with a peak of 66 on the 8th.
The relatively small size of Black Guillemots makes them easy to overlook whenever there is but a hint of choppiness on the sea-loch (which is most days), but I did note 14 birds on the 24th. Razorbills are regular visitors at this time, though like the preceding species they can prove to be elusive and rarely occur in big numbers; birds were registered on nine days across the month, with the largest count being - funnily enough - nine on the 16th.
Sightings of Little Egrets may only have been registered on five days but they spanned the month: one was at Loch Connell on the7th, and the remainder at the Wig, including two together on the 11th and 12th. Gannets were observed most days, with a high of 44 on the 8th.
My first House Martin of the year was a bird at Loch Connell on the 7th. There was then a wait until the first Swallow made an appearance on the 13th, followed by six Sand Martins on the 14th. A walk through the Estate woods on the 2nd revealed a lone Blackcap advertising himself in song, but come the 19th a total of nine jubilant birds could be heard along the same beat previously travelled. Chiffchaff numbers rose in similar fashion, with four songsters on the 2nd increasing to 13, again, on the 19th. For the first excited trills and whistles of a Sedge Warbler to greet my ears I had to wait until near the month’s end, the 28th. Whitethroats arrived a little earlier: the scratchy notes of a songster being heard on the 21st. The descending, fluty notes of a Willow Warbler announced the presence of the first spring bird on my patch on the 14th, rising to eight singers on - you guessed it - the 19th.
Although Pied Wagtails are resident there is usually an influx of passage birds during the spring: 21 were counted on the 11th, including three of the paler, Continental race, commonly referred to as White Wagtails. Alas, this race has become something of a scarcity on my patch in recent years so I am pleased to report seven additional observations spanning the month, although four (on the 12th) was the biggest of those counts. Wheatears also pass through the area, the first birds usually arriving in late March, but this year I didn’t spy one until the 21st of April, and that was at Loch Connell rather than on the Wig Fields where they more usually turn up; there was, however, a party of three birds here on the 23rd, followed by a singleton the day after.
Cuckoos are not the commonest of migrants in my neighbourhood so one heard calling near the village school, on the 26th, was much appreciated. Nuthatches are more often heard than seen in the wooded areas of the Corsewall Estate; singing birds, in particular, are a useful gauge of the population at large: five were heard on the 19th, which I thought was a reasonable number given the amount of habitat available to them. Seven Skylarks sang their little hearts out above the Wig Fields on the 11th: their cheerful notes even seemed to put a frisky step in the calves that cavorted below them, instantly bringing to my mind childhood memories I associate with the story of ‘Ferdinand the Bull’.
Leaving the best till last, as they say, a Lapland Bunting at the Scar on the 2nd had my heart racing: not because of its rarity value in these parts but for the simple reason that this particular bird was a wonderfully marked male in strikingly handsome breeding plumage - an attire I had not before witnessed in any I had previously seen alive in the United Kingdom. Wow! A fitting note, me thinks, on which to end.
‘Till the next time, enjoy whatever delights come your way.
The contents of this article are courtesy of the author, S Grover.
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