Happy Birding New Year

Like many bird watchers, I keep lists - year lists, site lists, and garden lists. At the beginning of the year I sat down and spent a wee bit of time looking back on 2017 and the birds we encountered in Greater Glasgow and also the rest of Scotland. 

With the use of BirdTrack it is now a lot easier to explore your records and compare your bird sightings with previous years. For example, I saw 69 species at Hogganfield Park LNR in 2017; this compares to 68 in 2016 and 63 in 2015. I also recorded my 100th species at Hogganfield in 2017.

Needless to say, the listing has started again and of course Hogganfield Park LNR has been visited as well as other local sites such as Bingham's Pond and Victoria Park. We also travelled a bit further afield, with Peter and Stephen, to Baron's Haugh RSPB Reserve and Strathclyde Loch...............

At Hogganfield Park LNR there were 4 Great Black-backed Gulls present, three of which are represented below ...

3 Great Black-backed Gulls with Herring Gulls - Hogganfield Park LNR - 5 /1/18

This Kestrel gave great views before going off and successfully hunting ......

Kestrel - Hogganfield Park LNR - 5/1/18

Baron's Haugh was looking good in the sunlight and we did manage to see a Tawny Owl as well as the usual species. 

Baron's Haugh RSPB Reserve - 6/1/18

From Baron's Haugh, we headed over to the nearby Strathclyde Loch and thankfully located the famous Ring-billed Gull which has returned for its 4th 'winter'. It remained fairly distant so I had to settle for this record shot .....

Ring-billed Gull - Strathclyde Loch - 6/1/18

 On the 8th, I walked to Victoria Park and found that most of the pond was frozen ....

Victoria Park - 8/1/18

There were still good numbers of waterbirds present with this Little Grebe showing particularly well ....

Little Grebe - Victoria Park - 8/1/18

 Another sighting of note was this ringed Black-headed Gull. I have sent off details and will hopefully receive information about where and when the bird was ringed from the relevant ringer ...

Back-headed Gull - Victoria Park - 8/1/18

Finally, I couldn't help hearing the screech of the 'local' Ring-necked Parakeets and I located 3 within the park boundary, away from their nest hole ...

Ring-necked Parakeet - Victoria Park - 8/1/18

So the year is less than 2 weeks old and my bird list stands at 51. Other people have also been out birding and their records, from the Greater Glasgow area, and courtesy of the SOC Clyde Grapevine, follow:

Wednesday 10 January 2018
11 Gadwall on Hogganfield Loch.
Two Jays flying across River Clyde from Erskine Wood to Bowling. 

Monday 8 January 2018
A male and a female Scaup still on Waulkmill Glen Reservoir.
Two Barnacle Geese with about 1,000 Pink-footed Geese at Boclair Farm, Milngavie.

Sunday 7 January 2018
The 2nd-winter Yellow-legged still at the Balgray Reservoir, roost, also 44 Goosanders.
Four Crosssbills in Mugdock Country Park.
A remarkable19 Ring-necked Parakeets at roost in Victoria Park, Glasgow.

Tuesday 2 January 2018
A male and female Scaup still on Waulkmill Glen Reservoir, also two Stonechats.

Bingham's Pond - The Soap!

I visited Bingham's Pond again yesterday (15 February 2014) for the WeBS count and managed 2 Mute Swan, 34 Mallard, 15 Tufted Duck, 18 Moorhen, 6 Coot and 92 Black-headed Gull. However, more surprisingly was the count for Goosander - 16 - a probable record for the site. I also saw 2 Grey Heron, a photo of one follows...

 

This proved to be a popular corner with Goosanders, Mallard, Moorhen and Coot also actively feeding. The following video - the latest edition of 'Bingham's Pond The Soap' - might explain why!

 

Click http://youtu.be/E-FEmeqpnDg  Please view at highest resolution possible by clicking on 'small wheel icon' on bottom right of YouTube screen.

 

Can anyone identify the amphibian?

 

Finally, the 'local' Ring-necked Parakeet put in another appearance, albeit briefly.

Other recent records, courtesy of SOC Clyde Grapevine:

15 February 2014
A Jay over the entrance to Woodhead Farm, just north of the M74 Maryville Junction at 1400 hrs.
A male Stonechat at the Cathkin Marsh SWT Reserve.
Two Bramblings in a Muirlees Crescent, Milngavie garden.

14 February 2014
A male Blackcap in a Lusset Road, Old Kilpatrick garden yesterday and today.
20 Lesser Redpolls and 20 Goldfinches at feeders in a Hollows Avenue, Paisley garden.
Now at least four Bramblings (two males, two females) in a Muirlees Crescent, Milngavie garden.
40 Reed Buntings at Gartcosh Nature Reserve.

  

The Last Post

Well, this will be the last post, for 2013.

I'll start with a recent report courtesy of SOC Clyde Grapevine:

Sunday 29 December 2013

18 Gadwall and 44 Whooper Swans on Hogganfield Loch, also a Jack Snipe in the marsh.

 

Moving on to today, we had an impressive 16 different bird species in our small garden, the highlight being 6 Fieldfare.

 

In the late afternoon I spent an hour at Bingham's Pond and recorded 19 different species - the highlight being, once again, a Ring-necked Parakeet. At this point I had an enjoyable chat with a couple from Orkney who were really impressed by the Pond

 

Other birds of note were 8 Goosander - when I first arrived there were only 2 present but by dusk this had risen to 8 birds.

 

I'll finish with a couple of 'atmospheric' shots of the Pond and wish you all a peaceful and happy New Year ...................................

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Species for Bingham's Pond - but can I count it?

I popped down to Bingham's Pond just after lunch today anticipating that the pond would be frozen - and it was.............................................

.....only a small area, to the left of the gulls in the picture above, was open. This meant that the water birds were concentrated and easy to count (and feed!) There were 2 Mute Swan, 21 Mallard, 13 Tufted Duck, 1 Goosander, 19 Moorhen, 7 Coot, 112 Black-headed Gulls and 1 Common Gull.

Goosander - Bingham's Pond 22 November 2013

Tufted Duck - Bingham's Pond 22 November 2013

 

Whilst feeding and counting, my attention was taken by a screeching sound that I last heard in Dorset and India! Sure enough above my head high in a tree was a Ring-necked Parakeet - probably the same bird that was recently reported on the SOC Clyde Grapevine.

 

I managed a few record shots but it did manage to stay quite hidden despite flying from one tree to another....................

 

Ring-necked Parakeet - Bingham's Pond 22 November 2013

 

The question is, should I count it as a 'wild bird'? If I did, it would be a Scottish, Glasgow and Bingham's Pond 'tick'. What would you do?

 

Other recent sightings, courtesy of SOC Clyde Grapevine include:

 

Thursday 21 November

An 1st-winter male Pintail on Hogganfield Loch.

An Otter showing well at the White Bridge, Linn Park, Glasgow.

 

Monday 18 November 2013

A female Peregrine flying west over Priesthill and Darnley Station, Glasgow at 1545 hrs.

 

 

 

 

Thank you and Weekly Round-up

Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who attended my talk at the Renfrewshire RSPB Local Group on Friday evening. Your hospitality and kind words are much appreciated. Hopefully some of you will be inspired to visit Dorset and see for yourselves the wonderful number of birds and other wildlife to be found there - the Red Squirrel image seemed to go down well, so....................................................................................................

Red Squirrel - Brownsea Island, Dorset

 

I've not managed out too much recently but I can report, courtesy of SOC Clyde Grapevine, that there have been one or two interesting bird sightings in the Glasgow area over the past week:

 

Saturday 2 February 2013

A Ring-necked Parakeet in King's Park, Glasgow at midday, and a Dipper in song along the White Cart Water in the centre of Cathcart.

 

Tuesday 29 January 2013

50 Waxwings feeding, with large numbers of Fieldfare, on cotoneaster tree hedge at Fastnet Street, Cranhill, Glasgow.

20 Waxwings on Titwood Road, Crossmyloof, Glasgow at 1035 hrs.

Mention of the Ring-necked Parakeet in Kings Park gives me an opportunity to show another photo from my Dorset talk...............................

Ring-necked Parakeet - Studland, Dorset

 

Thanks again to everyone at the Renfrew Group and perhaps I shall see you in Dorset!