Final report of our trip, two Little Egret gave us our total tally of 84 birds for our trip. Again no Skua for us with only one Pomarine being recorded in the book at Campfield. We really need to delay our trip timing for the Skua sightings in future.
Tony Koziol said
Sun May 1 5:22 PM, 2022
Four hours yesterday at high tide looking for Skua, sadly none to report, highlight was a Black-throated Diver. Also twenty one Dunlin and nine Ringed Plover.
Tony Koziol said
Sat Apr 16 2:38 PM, 2022
As we were close to this area and we had never been before we decided to give it a go just in case there could be an early Skua of any sort?
We arrived at high tide but sadly no South Westerly wind, we managed to add some Pink footed Geese, Shelduck, Tree Sparrow and Black tailed Godwit to our holiday list.
We realised we were a few weeks early for Skua but you just never know, this is a lovely site and with Campfield just behind us for a loo stop what else do you need apart from Skua ?
Simon Gough said
Sun Jan 20 10:07 AM, 2019
Friday 18th Jan
A visit to the Solway Firth for myself, Colin Rushmer and Chris Chandler on our way to Scotland. This village is obviously well known for the skua passage in May; not sure there are many birders up here in the winter though, it was pretty cold and wet! Amazing landscape though and we saw plenty of birds on the shoreline. We started at Campfield Marsh but this was largely frozen and very quiet, although a glimpse of a raptor suggested a Hen Harrier. Lovely place mind. We saw one distant flock of geese but sadly there wasn't really time to cruise around and look for them.
At Bowness itself the best birds were some very smart Red-breasted Mergansers, Goosanders and Goldeneyes, in prime breeding plumage and displaying and pairing up. We also saw lots of Wigeon, Redshanks, Curlew, Oystercatcher and some Dunlin, accommodating a Knot or two amongst them.
A brief stop at Port Carlisle gave us a stoic Peregrine sat on a log in the rain. It was an evocative sight and seemed to sum up the area quite nicely. We clocked around 45 species in a couple of hours so not that bad.
Chris Sutton said
Wed Nov 11 10:34 PM, 2015
Dropped off to Bowness-on-Solway on my way up to Scotland on the chance of seeing the Snow Goose reported yesterday. Motorway delays meant I did not get there until dusk and most of the Geese had flow ... so no luck. But as I left the village heading inland in the fading light a Bittern flew above the car - not a bird I expected today - if only it had flown out across the Solway I could have got it on my Scottish list !
Nev Wright said
Sun Dec 15 9:41 PM, 2013
14/12/2013 Bowness Ringed Plover 20+ Turnstone 3 Greta Black-backed Gull Common Gull Curlew Redshank
Up towards the old viaduct; About 850 Barnacle Geese No red-breasted geese seen in the throng!!
Campfield Marsh RSPB a gale and rain Whooper swans 10+ Wigeon galore Curlew Teal Sparrowhawk along the lonning Bullfinch Fieldfare Redwing Pintail Shoveler Mute Swan
mudand more rainfantastic!
Nev Wright said
Mon Sep 9 12:49 AM, 2013
1045-1230 Saturday Bowness-on-Solway ' Bus station' 300+ Golden Plover 23 Ringed Plover 4 Dunlin Gulls galore..but nothing out of the ordinary (to me at least!) Little Egret Redshank Cormorant ...great until around high tide, then everything flushed by a Sparrowhawk, which then flew over my head, winked,... and flew off!
John Barber said
Tue May 31 7:36 PM, 2011
Nick Isherwood wrote:
I was up this way at the weekend staying at the 'in laws' caravan near Silloth.
Paid a visit to Herdhill Scar on Sunday in the really strong westerly wind but I was really unlucky as I turned up too late to see the big passage of Long Tailed Skua that had taken place just an hour before. An incredible 125 birds and a record by all accounts. I was also unlucky enough to miss out on the 20 or so Pomarine Skuas that had passed through too.
Nick, That must be some kind of a record dip ! Can anyone beat that ?
Nick Isherwood said
Tue May 31 7:03 PM, 2011
I was up this way at the weekend staying at the 'in laws' caravan near Silloth.
Paid a visit to Herdhill Scar on Sunday in the really strong westerly wind but I was really unlucky as I turned up too late to see the big passage of Long Tailed Skua that had taken place just an hour before. An incredible 125 birds and a record by all accounts. I was also unlucky enough to miss out on the 20 or so Pomarine Skuas that had passed through too.
Managed a quick 45 minute watch from the scar though and in this time I saw a good passage of Gannet heading west along with good numbers of Kittiwake. A few Common Tern also put in an appearance and I nice Lesser Whitethroat near the road.
I managed to persuade the wife to allow me to pay another visit on Monday morning but as Monday arrived, the wind had dropped drastically. A 2 hour watch produced only one dark phase Arctic Skua plus 3 fly over Great Northern Diver which were good to see. We also got treated to very close views of a male Cuckoo as it flew right in front of us being chased by some Meadow Pipits and also a stunning Spotted Flycatcher that sat right on the end of the scar on the ironwork. A nice Garden Warbler on the way back to the car completed my stay up here.
Will definately have to visit this area again next year in May for the Skua passage.
pete berry said
Wed May 14 10:35 AM, 2008
According to people I know in the Solway Skua Group the best condions to see the skuas are 2 hours either side of high tide on a south westerly wind.These produce optimum conditions but even then there's no guarantee of a decent passage.Quite often the Skuas sit on the water and let the tidal flow push them up the Solway.As the winds for the past two to three weeks have been prodominantly easterlies passage has been very poor.There's still time as the skuas can come through to the end of May,check out the weather forecast for s.w. winds,you might be lucky!!
Rob Thorpe said
Tue May 13 12:45 PM, 2008
09/05/2008 - 11/05/2008
2 nights camping on the viaduct (why didn't we realise that getting tent-pegs into an old railway viaduct may be a problem?!?) and all we had to show for it was 3 Arctic Skuas
A bitter disappointment after last year's Skua fest!
Maybe we'll get better luck (and better winds in the Atlantic) next year...
Final report of our trip, two Little Egret gave us our total tally of 84 birds for our trip. Again no Skua for us with only one Pomarine being recorded in the book at Campfield. We really need to delay our trip timing for the Skua sightings in future.
Four hours yesterday at high tide looking for Skua, sadly none to report, highlight was a Black-throated Diver. Also twenty one Dunlin and nine Ringed Plover.
As we were close to this area and we had never been before we decided to give it a go just in case there could be an early Skua of any sort?
We arrived at high tide but sadly no South Westerly wind, we managed to add some Pink footed Geese, Shelduck, Tree Sparrow and Black tailed Godwit to our holiday list.
We realised we were a few weeks early for Skua but you just never know, this is a lovely site and with Campfield just behind us for a loo stop what else do you need apart from Skua ?
A visit to the Solway Firth for myself, Colin Rushmer and Chris Chandler on our way to Scotland. This village is obviously well known for the skua passage in May; not sure there are many birders up here in the winter though, it was pretty cold and wet! Amazing landscape though and we saw plenty of birds on the shoreline. We started at Campfield Marsh but this was largely frozen and very quiet, although a glimpse of a raptor suggested a Hen Harrier. Lovely place mind. We saw one distant flock of geese but sadly there wasn't really time to cruise around and look for them.
At Bowness itself the best birds were some very smart Red-breasted Mergansers, Goosanders and Goldeneyes, in prime breeding plumage and displaying and pairing up. We also saw lots of Wigeon, Redshanks, Curlew, Oystercatcher and some Dunlin, accommodating a Knot or two amongst them.
A brief stop at Port Carlisle gave us a stoic Peregrine sat on a log in the rain. It was an evocative sight and seemed to sum up the area quite nicely. We clocked around 45 species in a couple of hours so not that bad.
Bowness
Ringed Plover 20+
Turnstone 3
Greta Black-backed Gull
Common Gull
Curlew
Redshank
Up towards the old viaduct;
About 850 Barnacle Geese
No red-breasted geese seen in the throng!!
Campfield Marsh RSPB
a gale and rain
Whooper swans 10+
Wigeon galore
Curlew
Teal
Sparrowhawk along the lonning
Bullfinch
Fieldfare
Redwing
Pintail
Shoveler
Mute Swan
mudand more rainfantastic!
Bowness-on-Solway ' Bus station'
300+ Golden Plover
23 Ringed Plover
4 Dunlin
Gulls galore..but nothing out of the ordinary (to me at least!)
Little Egret
Redshank
Cormorant
...great until around high tide, then everything flushed by a Sparrowhawk, which then flew over my head, winked,... and flew off!
Nick, That must be some kind of a record dip ! Can anyone beat that ?
Paid a visit to Herdhill Scar on Sunday in the really strong westerly wind but I was really unlucky as I turned up too late to see the big passage of Long Tailed Skua that had taken place just an hour before. An incredible 125 birds and a record by all accounts. I was also unlucky enough to miss out on the 20 or so Pomarine Skuas that had passed through too.
Managed a quick 45 minute watch from the scar though and in this time I saw a good passage of Gannet heading west along with good numbers of Kittiwake. A few Common Tern also put in an appearance and I nice Lesser Whitethroat near the road.
I managed to persuade the wife to allow me to pay another visit on Monday morning but as Monday arrived, the wind had dropped drastically. A 2 hour watch produced only one dark phase Arctic Skua plus 3 fly over Great Northern Diver which were good to see. We also got treated to very close views of a male Cuckoo as it flew right in front of us being chased by some Meadow Pipits and also a stunning Spotted Flycatcher that sat right on the end of the scar on the ironwork. A nice Garden Warbler on the way back to the car completed my stay up here.
Will definately have to visit this area again next year in May for the Skua passage.