04 July 10 Barons Haugh

The day had dawned wet and windy. In fact this was the first real rain we have had in weeks.

By early afternoon the skies had brightened but there was a strong south west wind and occasional showers.

The Haugh was predictably quite but nonetheless still held significant numbers of eclipse duck including Gadwall, Tufted and Pochard. 2 Great Crested Grebe were present and 2 or 3 Little Grebes. There were small numbers of Lapwing present. In its good times in the mid to late eighties, when Russell was the full time warden there was far more interest. Green Sandpipers were always present at this time of year and other passage waders were likely. There appears to be no real attempt to properly manage the reserve especially the water levels and evidence of 'neglect' is further enforced by untrimmed hedges and other vegetation severely obscuring the view from both the Marsh and Phoenix hides.

Female Goosander with young on the Clyde: