We started by walking around the western side of the loch, birding along the way ..
We obtained tremendous views of Great Crested Grebe including some juveniles, Little Grebe and Pochard as well as the more common species. A Sparrowhawk flew over creating havoc with the gulls - the first of 3 raptors we were to see on the day.
We headed for Cardowan Moss LNR via the path that runs along the southern side of the marshy pools and encountered a large 'tit' flock, with lots of Willow Warblers, and augmented by Blackcap and Garden Warbler.
The pedestrian traffic island, installed as a result of fund raising by the Friends of Glasgow's LNRs, served its purpose as we negotiated the busy Avenue End Road and entered Cardowan Moss LNR....
Walking along the woodland paths, those at the front had a quick view of a Roe Deer; for those that missed it ......
A pair of Buzzards were spotted soaring high above the trees whilst closer to the ground Common Darter dragonflies could be seen.
The new footpath link to Frankfield Loch, created by the Forestry Commission, was well received .....
... and soon we were gazing out across Frankfield Loch ......
Sadly, there was little mud so our hoped for 'wader fest' failed to materialise, although there were good numbers of Lapwings.
We headed towards the 'viewing pen' for lunch and were quickly joined by the resident Mute Swan family, touting for tit-bits ............
...and a Common Darter that insisted on using the 'best seat' in the house ..
.. another scan of the loch turned up 8 Shoveler, a new bird for some ....
After lunch we headed back to Cardowan Moss and then Hogganfield Park, this time using the path that runs along the northern side of the marshy pools. We were still adding to our bird list with Whitethroat and 3 Spotted Flycatchers being seen. I got quite excited by the flycatchers, as I have never seen them before in the park, so I had to take a photo albeit they were some distance away ................
Shortly afterwards we had a superb Kestrel hovering over the grasslands and finished with great views of Gadwall ....
In total we saw at least 44 species of bird, 2 species of dragonfly, 2 mammals and a froglet.
Hopefully, everyone enjoyed the walk and thanks again for attending.
Great post, Jim. Love Hogganfield. Paid a visit yesterday.
ReplyDeleteThanks; hope you enjoyed your visit.
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