Heritage Loch

Two runs round the Heritage Loch in the last few days have produced few birds. Presumably most of the ducks left whilst it was frozen over the past 10 days. Today there was a single male Goosander and little else.

Male Blackcap at the garden feeder today.

Weekend Update

Saturday - post run at the Heritage Loch. Loch was partly frozen following below zero nights earlier on in the week. Tufted Duck numbers had plummeted to 1 but the remaining drake was accompanied by a female Scaup.

15 Lapwing remained and about a dozen Redwing flew through. Bigger than usual number of gulls but nothing out of the ordinary.

Sunday - Strathclyde Loch, Goldeneye & Tufted Duck but not much else. Could not find any Geese at Slamannen.

Cathkin Marsh

Cold, a slight covering of snow on hard surfaces. Buzzard, Kestrel, 6 Redwing, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting, 2 Heron, thought I heard Water Rail.

Heritage Loch

Freezing temperatures overnight resulted in a significant increase in birds.

• 60 Grey Lag Geese
• 1 Pink Footed Goose
• 25 Tufted Duck
• 1 drake Scaup
• 1 Teal
• 1 Little Grebe
• 2 Cormorant
• 12 Snipe
• 17 Lapwing
• 2 Bullfinch

Hogganfield & Frankfield

2 Ruddy Ducks (males) on Hogganfield this morning with Gadwall, Pochard, Goldeneye, Great Crested Grebe and others.

Frankfield partly frozen and nothing of any note.

South Cathkin

Started at Cathkin Marsh which produced Buzzard, c30 Fieldfare, 2 Stonechat and female Bullfinch. Heritage Loch had 1 drake Scaup & 19 Tufted Duck.

Caerlaverock

A nice crisp morning for the drive down to Caerlaverock and I was on site for 9am. Barnacle Geese were never close but there were still hundreds in adjacent fields including one hybrid Barnacle/Snow. My first Fieldfares of the autumn were along the Avenue walk and a Little Egret was on the flood.

In the afternoon from the Salcot Tower I had a male Hen Harrier, Merlin & a probable Peregrine making it a 6 bird of prey day and the day was finished off with the Whooper Swans coming into the Folly Pond.