At my caravan for a week,highlights so far-- Past my caravan, Peregrine carrying prey,Manx Shearwater,Fulmars,Sandwich Terns,Gannets,Kittiwakes,25 Golden Plover,several Black Guillemots,lots of Guillemots and Razorbills,Red Throated Divers. Elsewhere Loch Ryan Black Necked Grebe,Slav Grebes(both in sum plum)Red Throats,500+Scaup,Pale Bellied Brents,Lots of Wigeon,2nd w. Iceland Gull,near ad. Yellow Legged Gull,Purple Sandpiper,etc West Freugh area Green Winged Teal,Wigeon,Teal,Shoveler,Gadwall, Water Pipit,Greenland Whitefronts,Pinks,Greylags,Sand Martins(40),Swallows,Chiffchaffs.plus all the common birds. Just waiting for the rain to stop
-- Edited by pete berry on Tuesday 6th of April 2010 10:54:06 AM
-- Edited by pete berry on Tuesday 6th of April 2010 11:07:33 AM
Thought members might be interested in the highlights of a trip to D&G made by nine U3A birders from Sandbach 19th - 23rd March.
19/03/2010 Rothwell 4000 Barnacle including the leucistic bird, subsequently seen twice at Caerlaverock. Caerlaverock Drake American Wigeon, 3 Black-tailed Godwit, Drake Pochard, 3 Little Grebe, Sparrowhawk chasing finches around Whooper Pond tower.
20/03/2010
West Freugh 14 Greenland White-fronted Geese east of East Galdenoch, 98 more south east of Low Mye. Single Raven. Maitland Terrace Drake Green-winged Teal. Sand Martin. Male Shoveler. Pink-foot flock behind the terrace contained 2 Barnacle Geese (likely to be Icelandic race) Loch Ryan (northerly wind) Balyett 8 Gannets fishing in the loch Cairnryan 3 Black Guillemot, 40+ Eider Outer Loch Ryan (from the road above Port Sally) Guillemot, 3 Kittiwake, several more Gannets. Bishopstone 30+ Scaup Broadstone Road 2 Brent Geese, Red-breated Mergansers and Goldeneye on the Loch. The Wig 42 Brent Geese, pale-bellied, apart from one which appeared dark-bellied. 2 Stonechat. 6 Long-tailed Ducks.
21/03/2010
Wigtown dawn walk. Sparrowhawk chased Blackbird down track towards hide. Mains of Duchrae Several small parties of White-fronted Geese grazing in various fields. 3 Red Kites. 40 Fieldfare. 30 Linnets. Bellymack 3 Buzzards, several Yellowhammers & Reed Buntings on feeders, up to 20 Red Kites airborne at any one time. Sparrowhawk scattered the finches/buntings/tits around the feeders. Skyreburn Dipper, 2 Dunlin.
22/03/2010
Mersehead Snipe, Magpie, 1 Little Egret, male Wheatear. Southerness 3 Purple Sandpipers amid 33 Turnstones.
23/03/2010
Castle Loch, Lochmaben 12+ Goosander, Chiffchaff seen & heard outside hide, flock of 70+ Sand Martins circling high with some coming down to water level, including at least 5 House Martins low over the water.
The only disappointments were dipping on the Smew at Longtown ponds, and our inability to find divers or the rarer grebes despite hours spent over a hot 'scope. Otherwise, a good time was had by all!
