Bloody Dogs !

I was minding my business at Endrick Mouth this morning. Suddenly two dogs (fairly large, brown shitty colour) appeared on the track in front of me and started running towards, me growling and barking and showing teeth. Although one of them jumped up at me several times, I was not bitten, but nonetheless two aggressive animals running full tilt towards you is rather disconcerting. I was on a public footpath, so what gives an owner the right to have these things loose in the first place. I assume the 'responsible' owner, who was some 20 yards back, knows how the dog will react to seeing a stranger and as such surely needs to have the thing on a lead at all times.

Bird wise there were several Redstart, Grasshopper Warbler, Tree Pipit and 1 Osprey. Lots of Willow Warbler and Blackcap also. Still now whitethroats or Sedge Warbler yet though.

Redstart, taken at the same site last year

Quiet Weekend

Didn't do much birding this weekend. Between shopping with my youngest daughter yesterday in Glasgow ( I outshopped her, which takes some doing) and my Sunday household chores there's been no time. This time last year I was buzzing all over the country, but this year hardly any travel at all. Reason ?......... too bloody expensive ? Now seen 400 in Britain ? Getting old ? No, it's just been a strange Spring. After an initial early flurry of migrants, things have tailed off and indeed there was very little change at Cathkin this morning from a week ago.

Certainly more Willow Warblers and singing birds also louder than last week now that presumably the vocal chords have warmed up. A male Blackcap was singing and showing well in the Big Wood, but I had already heard one earlier in the month at Baron's Haugh. Still no Sedge Warbler or Whitethroat yet. Maybe next week ?

Male Reed Bunting in Windlaw Marsh

2 Skylarks in flight

2nd Swallow of the Spring over the garden this afternoon.

Drake Blue Winged Teal

Sunday in Glasgow dawned beautifully & so a perfect opportunity to go up to Drumclog and see if the BWT was showing. It was. Still a bit distant even from the viewing platform but nonetheless I managed some record shots:

2 Raven flew over the site for another year tick. 

1st Willow Warbler.

Despite the Northerly winds and occasional snow flurries, there was further evidence of incoming Summer visitors at Cathkin this morning. There were at least 3 Willow Warblers present, some 3 days earlier than my first one in 2011.

1st of "The Sound of Summer"

Additionally there were 3 Chiffchaff, including a good view of one singing in the Big Wood. The wood also held 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers and generally there was a lot more singing birds in comparison to my last visit of 2 weeks ago.

The Braes again failed to provide any Wheatear, but a good view of 2 flying Stock Dove provided some consolation.

 In the afternoon I headed to Hogganfield in the hope of photographing at least one of the Iceland Gulls that have been regular there of late. I was not to be disappointed, with what I think is a 1st   Winter bird just off the car park:



Several Willow Warbler also singing at the North end of the loch that also held an escaped Chinese Goose:

There were also at least 5 Great Crested Grebe present, including this one that was close enough for a good shot:

There was also Goldeneye still present and 3 Teal, 3 Goosander and a good scattering of Tufted Ducks.

Thayer's Does a Bunk

A very early start this morning. Out of the house for 2am to twitch the Thayer's Gull in North Lincolnshire.

Absolutely no show all day. Hopes were raised briefly mid afternoon when at least there were some Gulls to go through. Overall a very costly day out with little or no return. Tried to save a bit of the day by going to Blacktoft Sands, but this was very disappointing also with only a single Little Gull and a few Avocet and Marsh Harrier of any note.

A group of Avocets at Blacktoft

Tree Sparrow, also at Blacktoft. Seeing them increasingly nowadays

'Good' Friday

A holiday from work and with Patricia off night shift & Rachel at a sleepover there was an opportunity, despite the dreary weather, to get out and look for Spring migrants.

The first port of call was Cathkin. I needn't have bothered because it was virtually birdless. 1 Tree Sparrow, a few Reed Buntings and a Buzzard was about it. I also spent some time trying to digiscope a Skylark:

Skylark where the Wheatears should have been

By now it had started to rain, but undaunted I went to Baron's Haugh. Several Chiffchaff singing nd I got a brief snatch of Blackcap.

A Water Rail showed wonderfully well from the Marsh Hide but because of the rain I had left 'bigma' in the boot.

After collecting Easter eggs for the family I got an e-mail from the Clyde Birding Group advising that the Drake Blue Winged Teal had been seen again this morning up at the South Gilmourton pools. Unfortunately, there was no sign by the time I got there. A few Fieldfare still around though.

Should I go to Lincolnshire tomorrow for this Thayers Gull ? Unfortunately I did ! See next post.

Snow Goose and More Summer Migrants

Early April is a good time for Goshawk and a visit to Keilder. However, given the price of diesel I decided to try Glentress in the Scottish Borders as a closer alternative.

First stop however was Douglas Water in South Lanarkshire where I had missed the Snow Goose last month. No such problems this morning as I quickly located it in a field just West of Loudon Pond with Greylags:

Also present was a single European Whitefront.

After this I made my way to Innerleithen in the Scottish Borders. The hoped for Black Grouse were not seen although there were several Red Grouse present. 3 Wheatears and a few Sand Martin were welcome Spring migrants.

At the Glentress viewpoint I failed to see Goshawk but the increasing cloud and the brisk Northerly wind were probably against me.