Local and Lothian Birding

Despite the weather, another busy week.

On Saturday (23rd) we travelled through to Musselburgh and the RSPB Nature Fair. There were lots of stalls and some good illustrated talks ..

 

The bird ringing sessions proved to be really popular ...

 

 

and its fair to say this proved to be the only warm, sunny day of the week!

 

On Tuesday, I tried the Millichen area of Glasgow .....

 

 

Here I managed to see 28 bird species plus a number of Roe Deer, the highlight being this Grasshopper Warbler .....

 

 

Two days later I travelled back to Musselburgh and the wader scrapes proved to be productive ..

 

 

.... as in among the Oystercatchers, Dunlin and Bar-tailed Godwits were a single Knot, a Wood Sandpiper and a pair of Grey Partridge. A walk along the sea wall wasn't so productive although I did manage a photo of an Eider crèche seconds before a seriously heavy hailstorm ..

 

 

38 species and soaked to the skin!

 

And then, today I popped down to Bingham's Pond where I recorded House Sparrow for the first time since March 2001! I am also pleased to say that a female Mallard had a brood of 6 young; a pair of Coot were still looking after a growing youngster ..

 

 

..... and the new pair of Mute Swans have six cygnets - the first time since 2007 that a pair of swans have bred successfully at the Pond ....

 

 

Having added a few year ticks during the week, my year Scottish list now stands at 142.

 

Finally, other bird sightings from around the Greater Glasgow area, courtesy of SOC Clyde Grapevine:

 

Thursday 28 May 2015
A Woodcock roding over a Mugdock village garden at 2200 hrs.

Monday 25 May 2015
A Ring-necked Parakeet in the arboretum of Glasgow Botanic Gardens.