End of November

Well it's St Andrews day and at least we have finished the week on a bright note. Since my last update the weather has been generally typical of November - dark and dreary.

On Tuesday (25th) I attended the 'unveiling' of a Whooper Swan sculpture at Hogganfield Park - the sculpture being part of the 2014 Commonwealth Games legacy .....

The schoolchildren present certainly seemed to have a great time - see this link for more http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=14395

However, from a birding point of view it was dull and dreich ......

Hogganfield Loch - 25 November 2014

 

Despite the poor weather I did manage to see 33 species in just around 1.5 hours, including a Great Spotted Woodpecker which means my Hogganfield list for the year now stands at 66 species.

 

I travelled down to RSPB Lochwinnoch on Thursday (27th) and visited a part of the reserve I have not been to for some time - the Barr Loch. I even managed to get close to the southern end and was rewarded by large numbers of wildfowl, a few Snipe and a Buzzard.

 

Barr Loch - 27 November 2014

 

Sadly, soon after reaching this point it started to rain and it was a slightly bedraggled figure that returned to the Visitor centre!

 

I have also called in to Bingham's Pond a couple of times this week to re-fill the Friends of Glasgow's LNRs bird feeders and it was interesting to see how numbers of wildfowl fluctuate on each visit.

 

Finally, some recent sightings from the Greater Glasgow area, courtesy of SOC Clyde Grapevine:

 

27 November 2014

17 Tree Sparrows at East Millichen Farm, Glasgow.

 

26 November 2014

A male Blackcap in a Blacader Drive, Gartloch Village, Glasgow garden, also a Jay in the nearby oaks.

25 November 2014
In Glasgow, an adult male Peregrine unsuccessfully hunting feral pigeons in George Square and another adult male at Red Road flats, Balornock.