Petition and More East Coast Birding

I start with details of a petition aimed at getting MPs to make protecting our parks a legal requirement. Put simply, our parks are at risk. There's no legal responsibility to look after them and squeezed budgets means our local green spaces - from local nature reserves to playgrounds and parks - don't have the money they need.

You can find the petition here -  http://bit.ly/2coGutk

Moving on to birding, on Saturday (17th) we travelled through to a number of birding sites in East Lothian with Stephen.

We managed 60+ species and bumped into a few birders. A few images:

Whinchat

Stonechat

Mixed wader flock

 

Musselburgh

 

As ever, I finish with some recent sightings from the Greater Glasgow area, courtesy of the SOC Clyde Grapevine:

Sunday 18 September 2016
16 Black-tailed Godwits at Bridgend Farm Pool, also a Whinchat.

Saturday 17 September 2016
A juvenile Scaup on Ryat Linn Reservoir.



Birding and Talking

Thanks to everyone that came to my talk last night at the RSPB Hamilton Group. I was made most welcome and hopefully you all enjoyed it. A pity though that my forecast of 'lashings of ginger beer and ice cream' didn't come to fruition!

On the birding front, on Tuesday, I travelled through to Torness in East Lothian (by bus!) in the hope of finding some migrants. With high pressure sitting over Scandinavia, there was at least some hope! The weather, however, was far too nice - warm and sunny!

Sightings included 'lots' of hirundines, mainly Swallows, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Meadow Pipits and a few Wheatears. There were also a good number and range of waders on the rocks, viewable from the Torness sea wall walkway.

A few photos:

Looking towards Thorntonloch Caravan Park

 

Meadow Pipit

Wheatear plus Meadow Pipits

 

Little Stint (heavily cropped record shot)

Thirty one bird species in around 3 hours, lots of sunshine and a wee snooze on the bus home! 

Since my visit on Tueday, high pressure has remained over Scandinavia and a few scarce migrants have turned up on the east coast including Red-breasted Flycatcher and Yellow-browed Warbler - some keep your eyes peeled!

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

Thursday 15 September 2016
Two Kingfishers at Rosshall Park Pond, Glasgow.

Wednesday 14 September 2016
14 Gadwall on Hogganfield Loch and six Shoveler on nearby Frankfield Loch, Glasgow.















Although, with the high pressure remaining I note that the east coast has had a few reports of birds such as Red-breasted Flycatcher, Yellow-browed Warbler, etc.

Evening Talk - 15 September 2016

I shall be giving a talk, once again, to the RSPB Hamilton Group on Thursday 15 September 2016.

The talk is entitled 'The Birds (and other wildlife) of Dorset' and will feature images such as these:

The venue is the Strathclyde Park Watersports Centre on the edge of Motherwell (just off the M74) with the meeting starting at 7.00pm.

Bird Ringing

In late July 2016, I saw this Black-headed Gull at Baron's Haugh RSPB Reserve and noticed it had a coloured ring on its leg.

I checked the BTO web site and sent off the details and Iain Livingstone of the Clyde Ringing Group got back to me really quickly. He advised that the bird had been ringed as a chick at Elvanfoot on 24 June 2014 and had since been seen at Strathclyde Country Park on 24 September 2014 and 31 January 2015.

Iain, also kindly helped me with another Black-headed Gull which I had found at Bingham's Pond in Glasgow on 8 February 2013.

At the time, I was able to ascertain that the bird had been ringed in Poland but had not been able to find out anything else. Iain undertook some research and confirmed that it was the first Polish bird to have been reported to the Clyde Ringing Group and so it was a very good record. The bird had been ringed in Poland on 24 April 2010 and had been subsequently reported in Poland in March 2011, Fairlie in October 2011 and Poland March-April 2012. To put this all in context, the distance between where the bird was ringed and Bingham's Pond is 1248Km.

Finally, I reported this ringed Sandwich Tern, photographed at Port Seton, East Lothian in late August 2016.

Ewan Weston also responded really quickly advising that the bird had been ringed as a chick by the Grampian Ringing Group at the Forvie NNR on the Ythan Estuary on 2 June 2016.

It then headed off to Findhorn Bay in Moray before returning to the Ythan and then being reported from Port Seton.

All fascinating stuff; so if you find a ringed bird please report the details via the BTO web site and you might be surprised when you find out where 'your local birds' are coming from!

I

Hogganfield Park LNR Update

As well as a couple of visits to the east coast, I managed two visits to Hogganfield Park LNR in Glasgow - on 31st July and 2nd September.

The main aim was to check out the progress of the Great Crested Grebe chick that had been born on one of the BioHavens put out on the loch by the Friends of Glasgow's LNRs.

On both days the chick could be seen riding on a parent's back, albeit distantly. With the camera set at maximum zoom, this was probably the best shot ...

Grebe plus chick - Hogganfield Loch - 2/9/16

 

It wasn't just about the grebes. On the Wednesday I got a huge flock of Goldfinches; at least 125. This photo shows  111 of them! 

 

111 Goldfinches - Hogganfield Park LNR - 31/8/16

 

And, I also got a personal first for Hogganfield, a Kingfisher ....

 

Kingfisher - Hogganfield Park LNR - 2/9/16

 

The Kingfisher was my 98th bird species for the Reserve. It's amazing what you can find in a Glasgow park!

 

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

 

Friday 2 September 2016
Two Mediterranean Gulls (an adult in winter plumage and juvenile moulting into 1st-winter) on turf fields adjacent to Waulkmill Glen Reservoir.

Wednesday 31 August 2016
Two Ruff and three Black-tailed Godwits at Bridgend Farm Pool, near Kirkintilloch.

Wednesday 24 August 2016
An eclipse drake Garganey at Gadloch, near Lenzie.
Two juvenile Ruff at Bridgend Farm Pool, near Kirkintilloch.
Two White Wagtails on the grass adjacent car parks 5 and 6 at SECC; nearby an adult female and a juvenile male Peregrine perched on the crane.
A Whinchat at Windlaw Marsh, near Carmunnock.

East Lothian Birding

Since my last post I've been through to the east coast twice and been birding locally twice!

This post will cover my travels in East Lothian.

On 26th, I travelled through to Aberlady Bay, by bus, for a relaxed walk in this beautiful Local Nature Reserve. Three days later (the 29th) it was a bit more frenetic as I travelled, with Peter, to Musselburgh, Port Seton, Torness, Barns Ness, John Muir Country Park and Aberlady Bay!!

Birds seen included Little Egret, Ruff, Greenshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Grey Plover, Golden Plover and, surprisingly on the wader scrapes at Musselburgh, Sanderling.

There was some evidence of passerine migration at Torness with around 15 Wheatear on the sea wall.

Despite the breeze on both days, I also managed to see a few dragonflies and butterflies, with the highlight being Painted Lady at Torness.

A few images from both days:

Aberlady Bay - 26/8/16

Common Darter - Aberlady Bay - 26/8/16

Little Egrets - Aberlady Bay - 26/8/16

 

Juvenile Swallow - Musselburgh - 29/8/16

Speckled Wood - Musselburgh - 29/8/16

 Sandwich Terns, 2 Black-tailed Godwits, Common Tern and Turnstone - Port Seton - 29/8/16

Wheatear - Torness - 29/8/16

 

Painted Lady - Torness - 29/8/16

 

Barns Ness, looking towards Torness - 29/8/16