(B)ringing in the New Year - Updated in Bold

I started the new year with some local birding at Bingham's Pond and Knightswood Park. And both locations turned up trumps on the 'ring reading' front.

I also met another ring reader who provided lots of information as well as mentioning he reads my blog - thanks Gavin.

So on to the ringed birds, all seen on 2 January 2019:

1. Black-headed Gull, Bingham's Pond - apparently ringed in Norway and awaiting more information

2. Black-headed Gull - Knightswood Park pond - ringed Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria 4/12/18

3. Black-headed Gull - Knightswood Park pond - ringed Ythan Estuary 3/6/14

4. Black-headed Gull - Knightswood Park pond - ringed Victoria Park, Glasgow 15/12/18

5. Mute Swan - Knightswood Park pond - ringed Castle Semple Loch 5/2/17

So, five ringed birds - a good way to (b)ring in the new year!

Moving further afield, five of us got together yesterday for a spot of birding along the River Leven at Balloch Country Park. Despite the dreich weather, we added to our year list with four Mandarin Ducks (3 males) being the highlight.

Three of us then moved on to the Croftamie area and we managed to locate the Greenland White-fronted Goose flock, or at least 120 of them, plus two Pink-footed Geese. The drizzle had now stopped allowing me to take this record shot.

Thanks to Peter, Judith, Mike and Lynda.

More Sunny December Birding!

Remarkably we have had a few more sunny days since my last post!

This has resulted in a few visits to Hogganfield Park LNR, Bingham's Pond and Balloch, not so sunny, but at least dry!

At Balloch, on the River Leven, I managed to connect with three Mandarin Duck (2m, 1f), although it was a bit dull for photography …

14/12/18

I managed two visits to Hogganfield (in the sunshine) and it was nice to bump into and have a quick chat with some fellow birders and bird photographers …

On the 10th I found a dishevelled Magpie apparently using a litter bin as its shelter ..

… a Grey Heron sitting atop a tree next to a path …

… and another ringed (2CK2) Black-headed Gull ..

Later in the week (16th) I helped out once again with the Friends of Glasgow's LNRs monthly wildfowl feeding and Bird ID event ……

At Bingham's Pond, I recorded the usual suspects ….

Goosander (female) - 9/12/18

Mallard (drake) - 9/12/18

Coot - 9/12/18

However, in addition to the wildlife, I was pleased to see that the Council had started to resurface the footpath around the pond ……

Resurfacing footpath - 9/12/18

Yesterday the footpath was complete and looking good …..

17/12/18

17/12/18

A big thank you to everyone involved for getting this done.

Finally this will probably be my last blog before Christmas, so 

Happy Christmas to you all 

2017 - a new Birding Year

The first post of 2017 - I've been too busy birding!

On the 1st and 5th, I walked to one of my local sites - Bingham's Pond. In between, we managed trips down to Renfrewshire, Ayrshire, Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire - thanks to Stephen; Peter and Tony; and Judith and Mike. The result - excellent company and 72 species! Today I added another bird to the list - Waxwing - with a bus trip into Glasgow City Centre!

Remember to click on the photos and create a slide show for enhanced viewing:

Barr Loch - 2/1/17

Aird Meadow - 2/1/17

Ring-billed Gull - Strathclyde Loch - 2/1/17

 

Distant, awful record shot - Hooded Merganser - Barr Loch - 3/1/17

 

Goosander - River Leven, Balloch - 4/1/17

Mandarin - River Leven, Balloch - 4/1/17

Nuthatch - Balloch CP - 4/1/17

 Buzzard - Balloch CP - 4/1/17

 

Bingham's Pond - 5/1/17

Moorhen - Bingham's Pond - 5/1/17

 

During the 'holiday period', lots of people have been out birding and here is a flavour of what's been seen in the Greater Glasgow area, courtesy of SOC Clyde Grapevine:

 

Thursday 5 January 2017
Six Waxwings at Millhouse Drive, Kelvindale, Glasgow.
Four Waxwings at Corrie Grove, Muirend, Glasgow.
Two Nuthatches at the feeders in Pollok Country Park.
A female Blackcap in a Boylestone Road, Barrhead garden.

Wednesday 4 January 2017
Two Chiffchaffs with Goldcrests at Glasgow Green.

Two Ring-necked Parakeets at Bishopbriggs Golf Course.

Tuesday 3 January
An adult colour ringed Mediterranean Gull at Knightswood Park, Glasgow.
The female Mandarin Duck still on the White Cart Water at Sinclair Drive, Battlefield.
A Nuthatch at feeders in Dowanhill Park, Highburgh Road, Glasgow.

Monday 2 January
An adult Iceland Gull at the Balgray Reservoir Gull roost.
Four Jack Snipe and 15 Snipe at Windlaw Marsh, Carmunnock, also three Water Rails.
Up to 40 Waxwings still at the back of Adelaide Church, Bath Street, Glasgow.
At least 40 Waxwings on a tree Darnley Street, Pollokshields, Glasgow.

 

 

 

 

First Birding of the Year

Despite still suffering from 'man flu', Lynda persuaded me that a bit of birding would do me good! So we caught the train to Balloch and, having received a tip-off (thanks Fiona), we headed straight for the Loch Lomond Shores area .....................

Loch Lomond Shores - 5 January 2015

 

Walking towards the Maid of the Loch we quickly found 2 Little Auks followed by the Velvet Scoter that has been around for a few days now. Despite the poor light and drizzle, I managed some record shots ....

 

Little Auks - 5 January 2015

Velvet Scoter - 5 January 2015

 

We also managed to see 5 Mandarin Ducks (4 male and one female) on the River Leven at Balloch before catching the train home - a really nice start to 2016 and a great way to forget you've got a cold!

 

Finally, a quick round-up of recent sightings from Greater Glasgow, courtesy of the SOC Clyde Grapevine:

 

Monday 4 January 2016
A Firecrest feeding amongst rhododendrons near the flatted mansion in Queen's Park, Glasgow.
A drake Green-winged Teal still on Banton Loch, Kilsyth and unusually a drake Red-Breasted Merganser.
Three Barnacle Geese at Boclair Farm, Bearsden.
Six Ring-necked Parakeets in a tree beside the clubhouse of Bishopbriggs Golf Course.
A Brambling, six Tree Sparrows and thirty Yellowhammers in a mixed flock of passerines at KIrkintilloch.

Sunday 3 January 2016
A drake Green-winged Teal still on Banton Loch, Kilsyth.
A drake Ruddy Duck still on Garnqueen Loch.
A Barnacle Goose with Pinkfeet and Greylags at Boclair Farm, Bearsden.

Mandarin, Iceland and Talk!

Just to clarify, this is not a post about buying a small orange at a well known supermarket!

OK I went twitching (16th). Well sort of; the birds weren't where they were meant to be but I did find them! Isn't that amazing, birds deciding to use their wings and 'disappear'.

The birds in question and the location? Well, whilst we were away and even more recently, Mandarin Ducks and Iceland Gulls had been reported from the River Leven at Balloch. However, this morning, in the drizzle, no sign. There were a few Goosanders around with this female guilty of, let's call it, stalking!

 

With no sign of the target birds, I had a walk around the nearby woodland of Balloch Country Park before deciding to follow the riverside footpath south. Just beyond the Scottish Water bridge/boom I came across this pair of Mandarin Duck ..

 

 

They posed for a few minutes giving stunning views before flying upstream. At this stage I was decidedly damp and chilled so went for a nice coffee and hot roll at the Tullie Inn.

 

Suitably refreshed I tried again walking along the banks of the River Leven to no avail. The woodlands of Balloch Country Park were full of the calls of common birds and I also came across a pair of Buzzard and Sparrowhawk. Whilst walking along the shore line I spotted a few gulls over towards Loch Lomond Shores so decided to see if I might be lucky and find the Iceland Gull 'in the wrong place'. To cut a long story short, I located a 1st winter bird next to the Maid of the Loch . 

 

 

...... and ultimately managed a few record shots. This photo, stretching the zoom to the maximum, shows the Iceland Gull with a Black-headed Gull and Common Gull ..

 

 

So a positive finish to a damp day's birding followed by a comfortable 35 minute train journey home.

Finally, a wee plug for a talk I am giving tomorrow night on the 'Birds and Habitats of Glasgow'. It is being held in the pavilion visitor centre at Rouken Glen Park, Rouken Glen Road, G46 7JL, commencing at 7pm. No booking required.