Migrations and Colonies: Bird Report 06/07/20 - 12/07/20

This week has been a mixed bag, both in terms of the weather and the birds we have been seeing. Amongst the rain showers, bursts of sun and strong gusts we have been out and about this week, and so have a variety of records from across the north Rhins. Following on from last week's feature article, we made it out to Aldouran Glen, and so have an interesting selection of insects and amphibians alongside the many birds as well. 

Whilst many birds come and go with the seasons, gulls are ever-present on our shores. This week is no different and we have had plenty of Herring and Black-headed Gulls, including several juvenile birds. We also had regular records of Lesser and Greater Black-backed Gulls, alongside some Common Gulls which have not been as frequent of late. This is a good time of year for Mediterranean Gulls but so far we have seen none yet. Maybe with the upcoming movement of birds we will see some, perhaps with some Yellow-legged Gulls while we're at it!

A Common Gull rests on the seafront at Stranraer

Down on the Scar, amongst all the gulls we still have our summer terns. Most of our Sandwich Terns have finished breeding, evident by the presence of juvenile birds amongst the adult flocks (30 - 55 birds across the week). We also had a few Common Terns alongside them, though soon enough we will lose both species as they migrate back to their wintering grounds in Africa and Asia. 

As they go, so will other species arrive to winter on our shores. First to appear are normally the waders, and we are already seeing this with small flocks of Dunlin and Knot being recorded on the Wig. Another such species is the Redshank. Whilst not uncommon during the winter, they disappear during the summer and so this is our first record of the species since mid-April.

As mentioned earlier, this week we made the trek over to Leswalt to visit Aldouran Glen. With the sun shining brightly we were hoping to find all sorts of insects, so imagine our surprise when upon arrival there wasn't a fly to be seen! We did eventually find some Azure and Blue-tailed Damselflies, but it seems we were too late for the many Dragonflies that they normally get.

Fortunately, there were still plenty of other interesting things to see, and we got great views of Spotted Flycatchers as they perched out in the open. Amongst the tall reeds we also heard Willow and Sedge Warblers, whilst Swallows and House Martins swooped low over the pond to catch flies. Within the pond itself, we were lucky enough to spot not one, but two newts! One was a Palmate newt sunning itself in a clear patch of mud, whilst the other we struggled to identify as it played hide and seek with us in the pondweed (the newt definitely won this game!). 

With the weather being so nice, we took the back roads between Leswalt and Kirkcolm, hoping to find some Yellowhammers. Whilst they managed to elude us, we did come across a couple of other surprises. In one seemingly empty field, an exposed sandbank revealed a colony of nesting Sand Martins. With at least 20 nesting holes, and over 50 Sand Martins flying to and from them, it was a hive of activity, and so is likely that many of these burrows were occupied. This was an exciting find, and explains where our large flocks over Loch Connell may be coming from. Further on down the road we came across a Greenfinch, and whilst not the yellow birds we were hoping for, a pair of Goldfinches were nice to see as well. 

You can see the small nesting holes in the side of this sandbank

Following the back roads you eventually have to pass Loch Connell, so we managed to get in two visits this week. There is still evidence of breeding here, including a Canada Goose with three juveniles, and a female Mallard with seven ducklings. Elsewhere other ducks are returning, including Teal and Tufted Ducks, whilst a small flock of 51 Greylag Geese (including one white farmyard goose) grazed in the fields. Not all activity was on the water, as in the hedgerows and above the fields we also had records of Pied Wagtail, Linnet, and even a Siskin. 

As always there is loads more going on. This week's miscellaneous species feature a female Sparrowhawk returning from a successful hunt, evident by the prey grasped in her talons. We've also had several Treecreepers, a trio of Jays, and a single Raven to supplement our corvid records. 

Finally, a quick highlight of some of the animals we've had this week. Despite the rain, we had a great selection of butterflies, including Common Blue, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Red Admiral and Small Tortoiseshells. Our mammals have also been very active this week, with sightings of Roe Deer, Brown Hare, and even a Red Fox. Lastly, a group of 3 Bottle-nosed Dolphins were once again sighted in the loch - at this rate they might become a regular thing!

 

That's all for this week, and what another impressive haul it has been. Hopefully, we'll have nice weather going forwards into the rest of July, and lots more birds to see.

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

The Woody Ravine: Aldouran Glen

Nestled away behind the village of Leswalt lies a small patch of woodland that leads into a wetland area and rock garden. This is Aldouran Glen, and despite its relatively small size, it can be a great spot for all sorts of different wildlife. Accessible from the village of Leswalt or a car park around the back, it is a straight walk through the woods, with an optional loop if you feel like climbing hills. It is a lovely walk through the trees and has loads of surprises, including wood carvings, a bird hide, and a Red Squirrel feeding station.

OS Map of Aldouran Glen

Starting from the Western car park, you quickly descend into the woodland ravine. The path follows a stream (which is looking a bit small thanks to all this sun) at the base of the glen, and weaves between the conifer trees as they sway and creak in the breeze. Traveling along the path you can enjoy an idyllic walk over rickety bridges, stone pathways and boarded walkways. If you venture up the far side of the ravine, you might stumble across the scattered remains of an Iron Age fort.  The woods then lead out into a large pond area with all sorts of visitor attractions, and beyond that a rockery garden and the village of Leswalt.

The halfway-point, where you can cross over the stream

In the peak of spring, the banks are overloaded with Bluebells and Garlic, whilst at the moment there is a great variety of flowering plants and ferns. Some of these include Scaly Male and Lady Ferns, alongside flowers like Wood Anemone. Dogs Mercury and Yellow Pimpernels. Up in the trees there are a good selection of woodland birds to see, including Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers and Coal Tits. The Glen is also a great place to see Spotted Flycatchers, as they feast on the insects that swarm over the stream. The woods are home to many mammals, and several deer trails cross over the pathway as they head up and down the sides of the ravine. Over the stream, you can see the occasional daylight flying Pipistrelle Bat, whilst at the very edge of the woodland is a Red Squirrel feeding station, along with a viewing platform that affords plenty of photo opportunities. 

Aldouran Glen's pond is brimming with plant life

At the base of the Glen lies a large pond, crossed by boarded walkways and filled with all kinds of plants and animals. As a man-made water feature, most of the plants here are not actually native locally and include Canadian Pond Weed, Flowering Rush, and yellow waterlilies.  By far the most numerous animals are the insects, and the many flies above the water attract all sorts of predators. Dragonflies and Damselflies of a few different species have been recorded here, however, you have to go at the right time of year to find them. Currently, Swallows alongside House and Sand Martins are enjoying the banquet, whilst this is also another great place to see Spotted Flycatchers out in the open. This water is surrounded by tall grasses and rushes, from which many species can be heard. These include the aptly named Warblers, including Sedge and Grasshopper Warblers. 

The water itself is home to lots of life. Though there are no fish are present in the pond, there is a nice variety of insects and amphibians. Only recently the waters were filled with thousands of tadpoles, many of which have since grown up into tiny frogs that hop across the boardwalk. Much harder to spot are the newts, which as predominantly nocturnal species, are not particularly active during the day. If you're lucky you might see a Palmate Newt sunning itself in a clear patch of water, though if they swim into the pondweed then good luck finding them as they become perfectly camouflaged. In the depths are the larvae of many insects including Caddis Flies, whilst on the surface Pond Skaters dash about. 

As you can see there is so much to experience at Aldouran Glen, it is definitely worth a trip down to visit. It is particularly nice at this time of the year, and in the summer sun you can easily spend a day exploring its many hidden secrets. Whether you are on the lookout for birds, or just a nice walk in the woods, this is the ideal spot and I would highly recommend should you find yourself in the area.

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

Toadally Awesome New Species! Bird Report for 29/06/20 - 05/07/20

Another glorious week of bird watching has passed, and somehow we find ourselves in July all of a sudden. Summer certainly does seem to be going by at a rapid rate, and so soon will many of our species. Yet somehow we are still getting new records this far into the year. With the autumn migration soon upon us, it could well be that with the influx of wintering species we will get many more new species. For now at least we still have plenty of great species to look at in this article. 

As a sea-loch, we get a lot of Seabirds frequenting the Wig, many of which either feed or breed nearby. One of the most numerous are Gannets, of which we got between 10 and 50 every day this week. We also had some good records of Black Guillemots, including 9 birds in one day. A more irregular visitor, we had a Kittiwake this week. We get the odd record of them every now and then, but so far one seabird has been missing from this blog. Fortunately we were able to remedy that, and this week had our first record of Manx Shearwaters for the blog. As seabirds they spend most of their time out over water on the hunt for food, returning to their nests on remote islands. In the UK we are lucky enough to have several breeding sites, and so on occasion they will head into the loch in their search for food. 

Whilst our summer birds are still very much with us, many species which winter here are slowly starting to trickle in. We can see this in some of our ducks. Whilst the large summer flocks of Eider are still present on the Loch, we are also getting more frequent records of Common Scoter. In summer they breed in northern Europe, and so we've had sporadic records of a handful of birds over the past few months. Whilst not the huge flocks we can get in winter, this week we've had several flocks varying from 50-80 birds, early breeders which are just a prelude to the many more that will join us shortly. Elsewhere we've had some other early arrivals, including a lone Red-throated Diver, and some small groups of Black-tailed Godwits. 

Whilst not the best picture, we were still able to get these Ruffs on camera

Sticking with the waders, this week has been especially good for them. Alongside staple species like Oystercatchers and Curlews, we've also had the odd record of Ringed Plovers and Turnstones this week. A small flock of 14 Dunlin and a lone Knot found their way to the Wig, whilst up at Loch Connell we found a pair of elusive Moorhens. Amongst these returning waders though we found yet another new species, our first Ruff at the Wig this year! They breed over in northern Europe, then return to our shores to winter. We get a few of these birds each year, but they are still pretty rare and always nice to see. 

As always there are loads of species to see around the Wig. This week has been good for raptors, with our local Buzzard pair successful raising a single chick this year. We had some less common species, including a Kestrel over the Corsewall Estate and a pair of Grey Wagtails over at Loch Connell.

A young Common Toad makes a dash for it

As usual, we see more than just birds on our travels, and this week we've had a nice spread of insects, amphibians, and mammals. We are probably all used to seeing Spiders in our homes or in the garden, but how about spiders living underwater? Once such species manages this, the Diving Bell Spider. Found in freshwaters all across Europe, we had our first record of them this week. They are probably relatively common to the UK, however, unless you are actively looking for them then they remain hidden in the water. Keeping to damp areas, and within the marsh we found not only a Toad, but a Frog as well! Finally, alongside our regular mammals like Roe Deer and Brown Hare, we had a small group of three Bottle-nosed Dolphins swimming in the loch. 

As ever its been another exciting week. I am constantly surprised with how our species list is able to grow. We're well over 100 different species now, and with the autumn migration soon upon us, that number could easily rise again. No matter what the end of summer brings I'm sure it will be exciting, and we will share it all here with you.

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

Signs of Summer Passing: Bird Report for 22/06/20 - 28/06/20

As we approach the end of June we reach the height of summer, for us at least. For many birds, this signals the end of the breeding season and that their autumn migration is just around the corner. Soon enough we will expect to see species leaving our area, so let's enjoy them whilst we still can. They will however be replaced with an influx of new species, and so there is always going to be something exciting to look forward to. 

Many birds still have breeding very much on the mind, whether they are late arrivals or perhaps just on to their 2nd brood. This means that we are still seeing large amounts of juvenile and immature birds, evidence of their breeding success. This week alone we've had a juvenile Robin, Stonechat, Goldcrest, Coal Tit and Grey Herons is various stages of immaturity. Other birds are showing evidence of nesting, whilst a pair of Reed Buntings were seen carrying food, a sure sign of small hungry mouths hidden away somewhere. 

Juvenile Stonechat in the Gorse

This activity carries on out on the loch itself, where alongside the large flotilla's of male Eider, a sole female escorted four fluffy ducklings. Up on Loch Connell, the brood of Canada Geese seem to have done well, with all three goslings now almost fully grown immatures. Scaling up once more, and whilst we haven't seen any cygnets locally, there are still good numbers of Mute Swans scattered around the loch. From the caravan park to Bishop Burn and Leffnoll Point we've consistently had over 40 birds on an almost daily basis, though sadly not many make it up to the Wig itself. 

For many birds that have finished breeding, it is time for them to start thinking about heading back to their wintering grounds. We have already seen this in a few species, perhaps the most obvious being the early return of waders. Many birds that fail to breed begin their migrations early, and so we often see some of our wintering wader species cropping up about now. This week it was a group of 12 Black-tailed Godwits which were recorded up at Loch Connell. Some species that are preparing to leave do so by forming large flocks in which they will migrate together. Most noticeably this is in our Swallows and Martins, of which we have seen flocks of 60+ and 130+ for House and Sand Martins respectively. It doesn't seem like its been that long since these summer visitors arrived, so we'd best enjoy them for the brief time we have remaining till they're gone for another year. 

The Wig and surrounding areas never fail to deliver in its great diversity of species, ranging from the small to large, quiet to loud and dull brown to an array of dazzling plumages. This week's selection was as varied as ever, from Linnets to Red-breasted Mergansers. We've had Nuthatches, Lesser Black-backed Gulls, a Raven and even a Sparrowhawk. Whilst none of these could be considered rare, they aren't exactly common species either, and so they are always great to see. And they are only part of our record this week, truly a testament to the wide range of birds you can see at the Wig. 

Nuthatches are often hidden away up in the canopy

Round us off this week we have a quick look at our local mammals. As always we have had several Roe Deer from all over, I myself having startled a male (though he startled me in return) at least twice on my daily walks. It was in these local woods that I also saw a Red Squirrel, which whilst definitely are present locally, can be very elusive and so are rarely spotted. Finally, out in the Loch itself we had a Common Seal to complete the mammal collection.

That's another week finished off, and with that we're practically into July now. In the coming weeks we will start to see many birds migrate back to their wintering grounds. No doubt we will see plenty more exciting species as they pass us by on the way to their wintering grounds. Many will even winter here with us, so there is lots to look forward too!

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

A Smorgasbord of Surprise: The Marshes

Perhaps one of the most hidden habitats locally, the marshes are also some of our most bountiful in both flora and fauna. Here you can see (and hear) all sorts of unique species that you won't find in other habitats, so they are always worth a visit.

Throughout the year the marsh is home to numerous different species of birds, many of them are extremely elusive and difficult to spot from amongst the grass. Grey Herons are at least easy to spot by their size, but the much smaller Moorhens, Snipe and even Jack Snipe can lie out of sight amongst the reeds. Indeed we get relatively infrequent records of these birds, even though it is likely that they are present, they just remain hidden and silent. Other birds are much more vocal, and often you can hear both Reed Buntings and Sedge Warbler contributing to the song coming from within the marsh. Whistling Teals alongside Mallards often frequent the marsh pools, though with this recent weather these are mostly dried up and so we have not seen ducks at the marsh for a while. All of these birds provide a tempting target for would-be hunters, and the marsh has its own raptor. Aptly named Marsh Harriers are few and far between, but we've had records of them hunting around the marsh, where they often disturb many of the harder to find species whilst they are it! 

Common Spotted Orchid (left) and it's hybrid

The marsh is home to a great variety of fauna, many of it hidden behind the rushes and long grasses. The damp soils make this a good place for a great variety of plants, including Bogbeam, Ragged Robin and Marsh Sancfoil. If you're looking to tickle your tastes buds, then they also have Wild Mint and Water Pepper - having tried it I can attest that it is very peppery! Deep within the heart of the marsh lie some truly beautiful plants, the orchids. Common Spotted Orchids are our staple species, along with Northern Marsh Orchids Whilst none were of the latter flowering when we last visited, they did leave behind some evidence, a hybrid orchid. Crossed with a Common Spotted orchid it displays both a distinctive purple colour and spots on its flower and leaves. These hybrids are capable of propagating with the regular Common Spotted Orchids, indeed this plant was likely a 2nd or 3rd generation hybrid itself. Under ideal conditions, it is possible that even the Common Spots will be replaced, as over time they all hybridize.

Definitely the most numerous of all organisms at the marsh are the insects, of which there is a huge variety across many families. Butterflies can be found all through the meadows surrounding the marsh, and there are many within the marsh itself. During our visit this week we had a Meadow Brown, Large Skipper and even a Small Heath. It is around the small ponds that most of the insects can be found, however, thanks to the warm weather of late these ponds are much smaller than normal. Within the water are several Diving Beetles, whilst on the surface are Pond Skaters and flying above them are numerous small flies. These are ideal food for aerial hunters mobile enough to catch them, and sure enough, there are dragonflies present at the ponds as well. Pinning down which species they are however was a challenging ordeal, as they spend a lot of time on the wing and land only for a short period of time before alighting again. Eventually though we were able to get some pictures during a brief respite period on some grass, identifying our mystery dragonfly as a Four-spotted Chaser. On the same small patch of water we also recorded a Common Darter, as well as Azure and Blue-tailed Damselflies in the surrounding vegetation. 

A Four-spotted Chaser takes a brief moment of respite

As you can see there is a wide range of organisms to be found amongst the marshes, far more than there initially appears. Patience really is the key to this habitat, as there are many places for everything to hide, but also lots of things to discover! Perhaps not as well known as other areas around the Wig, I would definitely recommend you to check them out, or even your own local marsh. Providing it hasn't rained recently (unless you have wellies of course) and the sun is out, there is guaranteed to be a plentiful bounty awaiting you.

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