As ever the usual range of wildfowl were present and it was good to note that there were 9 Goosander present. As I walked towards the western edge, I heard the familiar sound of a Chiffchaff (no. 35 for the Pond year list). Despite hearing it I never managed to locate it but whilst scanning I did find a male and female Blackcap (no. 36 for the year), Goldcrest, Wren, Robin, Dunnock, Blackbird, Blue Tit and a fly-catching Chaffinch.
My attention was drawn back to the water as a number of Lesser Black-backed Gulls started calling attracted by bread and trying to see off an incoming Grey Heron. I then noticed a Black-headed Gull, a Herring Gull and another that warranted closer inspection. It was a Kittiwake!!! These birds are normally only seen along the coast or at sea so this was a bit of a surprise although I was aware that they have been recorded at inland waterbodies such as Balgray Reservoir.
I fumbled for my camera to get some record shots but thankfully it stayed long enough to get some reasonable shots. A still of the bird flying, grabbed from a video follows ................
As far as I am aware this was a first for Bingham's Pond. It was also my 37th species for the year Pond list and my first Kittiwake in Glasgow.
All in all a great few hours at my local patch. What will turn up next?
Click on the following link to see a video of the bird resting on the water ...
As with all my videos, please click on the small wheel icon on the bottom right of the YouTube screen and set the quality to 1080pHD.
As a footnote to the above, the SOC Clyde Grapevine reported last night:
A passage of adult Kittiwakes up
the Clyde estuary, presumably heading overland to the Firth of Forth, involved
164 birds between 1605 hrs
and 1730 hrs.
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