Stil Preoccupied by Iceland Gulls

I got up at 6ish this morning. A sore head after several Laphroigs & Glenfiddichs and 2 cans of Stella consumed the previous evening. The living room still smelt of smoke from the log that rolled out the fireplace last night. Outside it was still dark (obviously) although I could hear a Song Thrush singing. Still far too early to do the big garden birdwatch.

By 8:20 it was light enough to see. I was aware of birds in the garden. A Coal tit was flitting around, a couple of Dunnocks, a Jackdaw. It seemed as good a time as any to sit and watch for an hour. During the first half hour, most of the garden regulars were logged albeit in very small numbers. A female Bullfinch appeared. I get them quite regularly, but this was the first for a while. Suddenly, a Sparrowhawk shot down the garden and scattered everything. For 5 minutes nothing. Then gradually things started to return, including a cracking Goldcrest on the fat balls. A mega in my garden ! Final total was 15, no Magpies that are regular or Collared Doves (occasional) or House Sparrow (1 or 2 from time to time). Nonetheless, I was quite proud of my final score. I eagerly filed my results online.

After a trip into town, I checked the Heritage Loch mid afternoon. It was largely frozen and all the Tufted Duck had departed. 120 Wood Pigeon & 39 Lapwing were in fields just West of the loch. Lots of gulls on the ice including an Argentatus Herring Gull, several Great Black Backs and a 1st Winter Iceland. Looked like the same one I photographed 2 weeks ago:

Cumbria

Been following a number of blogs from Cumbrian birders of late and this has encouraged me to visit the area West of Carlisle for a look.

Despite its close proximity to Carlisle, I was impressed how quiet it was and how easy it was to drive without being harrased by cars up your arse so to speak.

The only downside was the fog, but it cleared by the afternoon. In truth I did not see a great deal but it was nice to be in an area that I was not familiar with and to explore.

The target was to find some of the Goose flocks and scruitinise them for some of the 'goodies' that have been present recently. The fog did not help, but the very large flock of Barnacle Geese, including 3 leucistic birds, at Cardunnock was a highlight .... being so close to the road and very approachable. Unfortunately, my attempts at digiscoping from a window mount were utter crap and I have deleted all the photos !

The Great White Egret showed distantly on Campfield Marsh. I saw 65+ Pink Feet, several European Golden Plover and a Sparrowhawk. A flock of Fieldfare just West of Carlisle was a year tick. Mac D's on the way home was good !

Maybe should have gone to Caerlaverock !

Brambling Year Tick

Had a spare hour & a half inbetween visiting my mum & picking up the girls so I spent some time down at Lochwinnoch where the Winter plumaged male Brambling showed from the visitors' centre.

The Aird Meadow was almost completely flooded. Not sure if this is deliberate but I did notice the foundations of a new hide overlooking the meadow that hopefully should be good particularly if they can create some muddy edges for waders.

Goldeneye & Tufted were by far the most numerous ducks with small numbers of Teal & Wigeon also present.

Another Iceland Gull

Started off the morning at the Heritage Loch at 9:30am. The gulls were just starting to come off the tip for their mid morning drink & bathe and there was noting special amongst them.

2 Winter plumage Little Grebe at the West end was the highlight. 90 Tufted Duck, 1 Pochard & 29 Lapwing remained.

Onwards to Hogganfield a nice 1st Winter Iceland Gull was off the car park but there was no sign of the 1st Winter Med that has been reported of late.

1st Winter Iceland Gull

A Very Unremarkable Afternoon

I sloped off from work at 1pm and went firstly to Hogganfield. Very little of note apart from 'year tick' Lesser Black Backed Gull in the form of 2 adults and a 3rd winter.

Highlight of the visit

Onwards to the Heritage Loch to see if the Iceland Gulls were still present.................. they appeared not to be. A marauding Sparrowhawk caused panic amongst the 35 Lapwings, the drake Pochard remained and there were 4 Great Black Backed Gull present with a large number of Herring & Black Headed.

Facing the opposite way from the LBB

Iceland Gull Update

2 Juvs/1st Winter still on the Heritage Loch this afternoon. 1 close into the cafe car park & coming to bread. Drake Pochard still also present. Really crap photos coming up:

Using a Blackberry

Using a Blackberry through Leicas

Mum's Gone to Iceland

Saturday was a dull with a light drizzle when I left the house at 9:30 am. Cathkin was quiet with very few birds and my counts of only 5 Tree Sparrow & 1or2 Reed Bunting at the feeding site being really low in comparison to the previous two winters when the weather was far worse.

14 Pink Feet flew over and there were 2 Stock Doves. 12 Snipe were flushed from Windlaw Marsh.

2 years ago I counted c150 at this site. None today, presumably due to the mild winter ?

Up at the Heritage Loch there was lots of Gulls drinking & bathing presumably after having come over from the tip. I quickly got on to a Juvenile Iceland Gul, then another and another. Typically I had no camera ! These birds are presumably part of the large UK influx that followed the Atlantic gales of 2 weeks ago.

Other notables included 1 'Argentatus' Herring Gull, 90 Tufted Ducks, slightly up on last week, 30 Lapwing at the West end and a single drake Pochard, presumably the one that was here earlier in the month.

Returning with the camera early afternoon, I discovered what was probably a different one from the ones in the morning making four for the day.

After the hospital I finished at Cathkin Marsh in the late afternoon. Hoping for a SEO or such thing I was limited to c10 Reed Buntings, 3 Yellowhammer, 2 Skylark and c20 Chaffinches.

Out to Lunch

I don't often take a lunch break. Occasionally I walk into Glasgow City centre but usually I just wallow at my desk, eating my fruit and yoghurt & look at the internet (usually other people's blogs !) for all of 10 mins.

New Year's resolution 1: Take a meaningful break & do something with it from time to time.

My intension is to go up to Hogganfield every Friday. Goodness knows how long it will last, but today I actually did go.

A nice crisp day, I was away from my desk for a good hour and a quarter & I felt better for it and had quite a productive afternoon.

Away from the throng around the car park, Hogganfield was quiet with only 6 Pochard of note. Closer to the car park, I counted 59 Grey Lag Geese, 20 Whooper Swans and 2 Goosander.

Hogganfield is the best place bar none in Glasgow to see these wild Swans

More from the Heritage Loch

Have spent a lot of time up at Hairmyres Hospital over the past 2 days. Stopped in at the loch for a short while at lunch time today coinciding with about 150 Herring Gulls coming off Cathkin Tip. 2 adult GBB amongst them.

Last few days 2 Pochards appeared to have dropped to 1 (drake still present). 24 Lapwing roosting at the North end, 80+ Tufted Duck.

Heritage Loch

After the New Year celebrations & the 90mph winds of yesterday this was my 1st run round the loch in 2012 !

As usual it was raining & scanning from the car I noted that the 2 Pochards remained. There was also 70+ Tufted Duck, 1 Goosander & 1 Grey Heron.

And we're off and running in 2012

Today looked to be by far the best day weather wise this week before I have to start back to work. Keen to start off my 2012 list in positive fashion a trip down on to the Solway was decided.

The 1st stop was Kirk Loch at Lochmaben where I hoped that a drake American Wigeon would be forthcoming. It was being reported most of last week but not yesterday and I could not locate it today either. There was a cold wind coming off the loch and so I did not scan too long but long enough to count 80 Eurasian Wigeon and a similar amount of Canada Geese. Other than that there were a handful of Tufties & Goldeneye and a few Gadwall.

Round at Castle Loch at least 2 Willow Tit were very vocal & quickly showed but I could not locate Nuthatch.

Willow Tit

On the loch itself there were up to 40 Tufted Duck and a Tufted/Scaup hybrid.

The foreast for the day was increasing wind and by the time I reached Caerlaverock it was quite strong. There had been a drake GW Teal on the Folly Pond since before Christmas & indeed yesterday a 2nd was discovered. Despite all my scanning from Farmhouse Tower today I could not locate it. As far as I know it was not seen today.

Most of the usual stuff on the reserve. 2 Black Tailed Godwit were on the Folly Pond, Tree Sparrow & Sparrowhawk. The Barnacle Geese showed quite closely from the Silver & Gold Hide in the afternoon:

Creative Blur going on here............I think !