Ardmore Point

I attended a Glasgow RSPB indoor meeting this week. The first I had attended for going on 30 years. I enjoyed the content but the atmosphere was quite different to what I remember when I was 20. For starts it was a lot busier back then. It is difficult to remember numbers exactly but a lot more than the 60 or so who attended on Thursday. I'm also sure there were several young people who used to attend, to say I was one of the younger attendees on Thursday tells you something about the age range.

Going even further back to my teens I used to attend the Glasgow YOC. It met in Allan Glen's school & ran frequent mini bus trips to local 'hot spots' including today's site at Ardmore Point. Back then I vividly remember seeing Grey Plover, Spotted Redshank & Tree Sparrow. Back then there seemed to be a awful lot more birds. But maybe I just have rose colored glasses ?

 Weather wise today showed off the lower Clyde Estuary to its best. It really is a nice part of the world when it's not raining:

Looking towards Greenock

It is a number of years since I had been at this site but one thing that always used to be an issue was the state of the paths, particularly on the west side. I had heard on the grapevine that improvements had been made & so it seemed today with no large puddles to negotiate.

Bird wise it was quiet with none of the scarce passage waders hoped for. Curlew & Oystercatcher dominated in terms of numbers with at least 230 of the former in the north bay at high tide.

The area is important for Oystercatchers

Common Gulls were plentiful

So to Black Headed Gulls

Early signs of the approach of winter included Black Guillemot already out of its summer plumage & the arrival of Great Crested Grebe & Wigeon.

Maybe about 30 Wigeon present

A Sparrowhawk went through flushing the Pipits, Wagtails & Linnets.

Linnet

A small flock of Canada Geese preferred the marshy fields:

Canada Geese

A quick stop at the nearby Ardardan Estate:

The Dolphin Water Feature