Possible Tundra Bean Goose

A walk round Strathclyde Loch with Patricia this morning produced a possible Tundra Bean Goose of unknown origin with Greylags at the north end of the loch.

Female Long Tailed Duck & young male Scaup at the mouth of the River Calder yesterday.

Strathclyde Park

Have had a couple of trips to the park over the last few days. Notable birds have included a young male Scaup, a female Scaup, 1 Kingfisher, 70+ Lapwing and a single Redshank.

No White Wingers Yet

An Arctic blast is predicted for later on this week so we might get a Glaucous or an Iceland soon but there were none today at a sunny Hogganfield.

Black Headed Gull

Gadwall

Goosander

Year Ticking

I managed to fill 2 gaping holes in my year list today.

At Turnberry, I finally caught up with Purple Sandpiper and at Rouken Glen I had great views of a Dipper. The only remaining 'gimme' now is Tawny Owl. Must hear one soon !

Woodcock

I was casually watching the garden birds from the sun room window this morning when I noticed a large bird fly in the direction of the house. Obviously a wader, it banked against the houses on the opposite side of the road at which stage I was able to identify it as a Woodcock. It gained height and disappeared over the rooftops. Not only was this a garden tick but it was also a very welcome year tick.

Around lunchtime I took a trip up to the Heritage Loch. The loch was frozen in places and had good numbers of Herring Gulls and a couple of Greater Black Backs. A female Pochard was about the best duck and there were 40 Lapwing on the ice.

After that I did Cathkin Marsh where 2 Stonechat were present. As well as this, a Water Rail was squealing and there were some Fieldfare around. Close to the car park there was a Yellowhammer, and a few rather confiding Reed Buntings.

Female Reed Bunting

Everything scattered as a Sparrowhawk went through.

Caerlaverock

I kind of thought I had been in Dumfries & Galloway quite a lot this year but nonetheless this was my first visit to Caerlaverock.

Weather started off reasonable bright but soon got misty and then the rain started. In truth it was a pretty grotty November day. The new Peter Scott hide is a huge improvement on its predecessor especially since you can open up the windows in the tower for photography. Not that that was particularly easy today in the gloom.

Peter Scott Tower through the gloom

A drake Green Winged Teal has been around for weeks but it took me until after lunch to find it. Eventually, it showed very well.

Green Winged Teal

Teal for comparison

Distant raptors with nothing to size them against are not easy, particularly when you don't see them very often, but I think this is a female Merlin. It's going on my year list anyway. If anybody thinks otherwise please let me know & I might have to take it off.

Merlin - I think ?

Otherwise there were a few Barnacles to look at....

Just good to be outside enjoying the riches that Scotland has to offer.

A Wet Morning at Slamannan

Taiga Bean Geese

Scilly Day 8

The boat was not until 4:30 and so there was still some time to explore including at Carreg Dhu Gardens:

A guilty looking Blackbird on the apples

Dunnock

Firecrest

and at Carn Friars where I found this Lapland Bunting:

Lapland Bunting

The boat to Penzance produced lots of Gannets and a few Kittiwakes and nearing Lands End at least one probable Balearic Shearwater.

Nearing the mainland

Scilly Day 7

My holiday was coming to an end with this being my last full day. Whilst it will not go down in the memory as one of the classic autumns, it was just good to be down here. In a way however, Scilly has lost some of its magic and although it continues to produce some good birds the dearth of common birds is more and more evident with every passing year. I'm not sure what the causes are but it is a bit depressing.

Wheatears were however present in good numbers this year - bucking the trend

Anyway with the winds veering into the north east it encouraged a good passage of Redwings and some Fieldfares. A very showy Snow Bunting on Peninnis sent my camera racing:

After that I walked round the north east side of St Mary's and captured some of the views looking out towards Tresco & St Martin's:

and around Porth Hellick:

Whilst at Porth Hellick a Jack Snipe showed very well from the Stephen Sussex hide:

Jack Snipe

and finally St Mary's Harbour:

Scilly Day 6

At £8.40 a boat ride I had vowed not to travel unnecessarily however with very little on St Mary's and the likelihood of a Sora Rail on Tresco one felt compelled.

Sora Rail

With patience the Sora showed quite well.

Best of the rest included Juvenile Garganey, Water Rail, Black Tailed Godwit and Yellow Browed Warbler.

Stonechats were also quite obliging:

Scilly Day 5

Another quiet day with little to excite.

I relocated the Wryneck below the golf course, found another Yellow Browed at Trenowith and had 2 Ravens near Telegraph.

Breaking news of a Sora on Tresco would hopefully enliven tomorrow.

Telegraph - well you kind of knew that

Amazing flora

Amazing scenery

Scilly Day 4

After 3 days of searching on Mary's, it was time for an off island. Based on yesterday's new Bryher appeared to have most to offer.

The Hell Bay Hotel seemed the best place to begin, no I hadn't suddenly become a millionaire, but rather scan its roof tops for a juv RC Starling. Lots of Starlings but no 'washed out' looking ones. My attention was drawn momentarily to Hell Bay where 2 Little Stints & a Curlew Sand were showing but soon it was back to roof top duty.

Again no sign of the bird so a walk around seemed in order and I even found myself a Yellow Browed:

A self found Yellow Browed Warbler

I had almost given up on the Rose Coloured Starling when I suddenly blundered into it on the hill above Hell Bay with lots of other Starlings. Probably where I should have been looking all the time.

Round at Fraggle Rock a Whinchat was near the Campsite. A Rosefinch had also been seen close to the cafe, but it eluded me.

6 Common Scoter from the boat were noteworthy.

Scilly Day 3

Birding was quiet today with little about.

A walk through Old Town churchyard provided a Spotted Flycatcher.

The airport produced 2 Lapland Buntings and lots of Wheatears but no sign of yesterdays Short Toed Lark. When there are no birds you can always photograph the aircraft:

Skybus on its way to Lands End

Porth Hellick produced 3 Common Snipe and a Kingfisher and Old Town Bay 3 Golden Plover:

Well camouflaged Goldies 

Another Jack Snipe at Lower Moors completed the day. Time for a change of island me thinks.

Scilly Day 2

Full of enthusiasm I was out on Peninnis at first light. I was rewarded with flight views of the juvenile Purple Heron that has been around for at least a week now but little else.

Peninnis Head looking east

A Scilly morning sky

After breakfast I spent about 50 minutes at Shooters Pool in search of Spotted Crake. No joy but Water Rail and Sedge Warbler were notable:

Sedge Warbler in typical habitat

From the ISBG hide I had better luck with both Purple Heron and a showy Bluethroat:

Bluethroat

A self found Firecrest on the Garrison was nice and I got both Pied Fly and Reed Warbler here also.

Old Town churchyard provided an RB Fly, Pied Fly and Lesser Whitethroat.

The day was rounded off nicely when the Spotted Crake showed well id briefly on Shooters Pool.

Scilly Day 1

The Scillonian sailed at 09:45 on a mercifully calm sea. Interesting sea birds were in short supply but several Shearwater were seen some of which may have been Balearic. Cetaceans were represented by both Harbour Porpoise & Common Dolphins.

Peninnis Head Lighthouse - greets you on arrival

After dropping off the bags it was up to Newford Duck Pond for an elusive Arctic Warbler. I saw it fairly well but photographing it was a slightly different matter:

Spot the bird

A Jack Snipe into the sun in the late afternoon was a year tick. A couple of Cornish Ratlers in the Bishop & Wolf and it was off to bed for an early night.

Journey to Scilly

I was off to Scilly today, the downside was that 550 miles lay in front of me.

By 1pm I was at Martin Mere in Lancashire enjoying a Little Stint as well as thousands of newly arrived Pink Footed Geese:

3 Marsh Harrier enlivened a dull afternoon and I attempted to digiscope Snipe from one of the hides:

By 2 am I was in Penzance and looking forward to sailing to St Mary's in the morning.

Just in from Fife

Just home from Balcomie and British bird number 415.

Distant Brown Shrike. One of four in Scotland today!!!

Holy Island and Another Tilt at the Sardinian Warbler

Was on Holy Island for 06:30 am this morning. The causeway closed at 07:10 and so I had the island more or less to myself for about 4 hours. Despite this it was disappointingly pretty dead. 3 or 4 lingering Yellow Browed, 1 Wheatear & a single Pale Bellied Brent Goose was about it.

By 11am the causeway was open again and the bloody tourists arrived en mass. Time for a sharp exit.

Lindisfarne Castle on a murky Friday morning

News was positive on the Sardinian Warbler at St Abbs and since I was passing, I decided to give it another go. The sun was out and it was singing and contact calling almost constantly but despite this is was still being an elusive wee blighter. I did however manage to at least see it fairly well albeit briefly this time. However, despite chasing it around with the camera for about an hour I completely failed to get even the hint of a record shot.

Right Place at the Right Time

With a big dumping of Yellow Browed  Warblers on the east coast and conditions continuing to look good I decided to head for St Abbs on Wednesday morning to find one for myself. After dropping Rachel at school I arrived at St Abbs at 10:45 and in the rain was soon hearing my first Redwings of the Autumn.

I searched around the boathouse and thought I heard a Yellow Browed but with not having heard any for nearly a year one always doubts one self. As I headed north towards the reedbed end I continued to hear them and it was obvious that there were several. Indeed during the day I must have seen at least 6. Goodness knows how many there were probably double figures.

I met a birder who casually told me that there was a Sardinian Warbler calling and singing further along the track. He hadn't seen it but it was calling regularly and he had been told that it was bearing a ring. Could this be the same bird that was trapped ringed and released at the same site and not seen again back in June?

I was quickly hearing a bird that I was familiar with from Greece, Turkey & Spain. Same sound that I had been hearing in Crete 2 months ago. Hearing was one thing, seeing was another and in the next 3 hours I followed it around seeing it briefly once maybe twice in flight. By 3pm it had stopped calling altogether and there was no further sign by the time I left. Travelling home I began to doubt myself. Could I have been listening to a Lesser Whitethroat ? A quick check on the songs and calls when I got home proved to me beyond doubt that I had been listening to contact calls of a Sardinian Warbler.

Catching Up with the Blue Winged Teal

A quick trip up to Frankfield Loch on Saturday morning for the BWT I had missed last Sunday. 2 birders were already on it, so all the hard work was done for me!

Unfortunately, it was asleep all of the time and this was the best digiscoped image I could come up with:

You can just about see the crescent on the face

The Pec Sand had departed, but there were still 2-3 Dunlin and a Ruff :

Ruff

Barred Warbler secured but no Yank Ducks

With the winds in the east I thought it would be worth doing a day out in East Lothian. First stop was the Musselburgh wader scrapes which were quiet apart from a single Black Tailed Godwit.

Quickly onwards to Barns Ness where it was quickly obvious that there had been a fall with several Whitethroat and a Garden Warbler seen in quick succession. After a bit of searching I had a reasonable view of a Barred Warbler.

There's a Barred in there somewhere

Barns Ness

I spent about 50 mins doing a seawatch but there was nothing other than Gannets & Fulmars going past.

Despite searching I could not locate the eclipse drake Ring Necked Duck in Dunbar quarry.

Came home via the Pec Sand at Frankfield Loch where there was also 3 Dunlin, 2 Ringed Plover, Snipe and 1 Ruff. Could not locate the eclipse drake Blue Winged Teal.