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Week ending: 31st March: Ardmore Point
I was very optimistic as I set off for Ardmore Point, west of Dumbarton, since fine weather was
predicted for the second week in a row. John was still recuperating at home so I passed on a
breakfast in order to catch the best of the early sunshine.
When I set off on the circular path around the peninsula, I noticed that there were many patches
of Few-flowered Leeks in bloom at the edges of the path. A Blackbird watched me carefully
before flying off of the hedgerow as I passed. Red Deadnettles were growing at the foot of the
hedge. Near where the path turned out of the South Bay, I came across a beautiful Red-flowering
Currant bush that was just starting to bloom.
| Few-flowered Leek |
Blackbird |
 |
 |
| Red Deadnettle |
Flowering Currrant |
 |
 |
Below is a view of the South Bay as seen from close to the bush. Note how the tide is out.
Once out of the South Bay and looking southwest out over the Firth of Clyde, I was struggling to
see the few birds that were there, due to the low tide and the fact that they were back-lit by the
bright sunlight. However I soon got a record shot of a drake Red-breasted Merganser that was
diving for fish some 100m away. I was pleased to see that some Green Alkanet plants were
just starting to show their small blue flowers. As I photographed some flowers of Lesser
Celandine that were also by the path, I heard the unmistakable call of a Buzzard that was circling
the woods on the northwest side of the peninsula. Unfortunately, it did not come any closer than
about 150m although I did manage a reasonable record shot.
| Red-breasted Merganser |
Green Alkanet |
 |
 |
| Lesser Celandine |
Buzzard |
 |
 |
Further along the path where it turns away from the fields, I heard birds in the trees - a warbling
Robin and a rasping Greenfinch. Next, a wee Blue Tit that was carrying a chunk of moss in its
beak, darted onto the tree trunk. After a look around, it disappeared into a hole in the trunk -
obviously to build a nest.
Delighted with those sightings, I turned my attention back to the water and positioned myself on
my 3-legged stool on the foreshore and waited for whatever turned up. I didn’t have to wait long
before a Grey Heron flew onto an exposed rock, displacing a couple of Herring Gulls that were
sitting there.
The heron stood proudly on the rock as the gulls took possession of a smaller rock. I looked at the
other rocks that were exposed by the low tide and realised that at least 3 of them were hosting
Common Seals. I therefore left the foreshore and headed round the path for a viewpoint closer to
the seals. On my way, I photographed some Crocuses and Gorse Bushes growing either side of
the path.
| Grey Heron |
Herring Gull |
 |
 |
| Crocus |
Gorse |
 |
 |
I picked my way across the stoney shore in order to get a closer view of the seals. They were over
100m out so I didn’t have to worry much about disturbing them. I was able to confidently identify
them as Common Seal (rather than Grey Seals).
There were at least 5 seals on view, including the pair below. I walked back to the path, carefully
avoiding the wet seaweed. I had only walked another 50m when I heard a singing Wren and after
a short wait on my stool it made an appearance on a close bush. As I snapped the wren, there
was the very familiar sound of the aptly-named Chiffchaff (after the call it makes), and after
a short search I located it in a nearby tree. I was having a good day and it was about to continue. I
snapped a passing Great Black-backed Gull as I neared the head of the Point.
| Common Seal |
Wren |
 |
 |
| Chiffchaff |
Great Black-backed Gull |
 |
 |
A Cormorant was diving near the shore as a immature Herring Gull circled overhead, ready to
steal its catch should the opportunity arise. A little further along the shore a pair of Redshanks
were probing the shallows, as above them a Carrion Crow was attempting to consume its latest
catch. However, it flew off when it was threatened by another crow.
| Cormorant |
3rd Cycle Herring Gull |
 |
 |
| Redshank |
Carrion Crow |
 |
 |
I rounded the Point and got my first view of the North Bay. It was disappointing. There were very
few birds along the shoreline. It was a nice view though.
Another pleasant view was the sight of very young lambs gambolling in a field that was partially
hidden by surrounding trees. I also saw more nicely-lit Lesser Celandine near where I watched the
lambs. At this point I decided to return to the car for an hour to have a light lunch (a tuna snack),
after which time I’d return to the North Beach where the advancing tide might have more birds in
attendance. That is what I did and I’m pleased to report that, although the tide was still quite far
out, I saw Oystercatchers and a pair of (much closer) Shelducks dabbling in the salt pools.
| Lambs |
Lesser Celandine |
 |
 |
| Oystercatcher |
Shelduck |
 |
 |
There were many more Shelducks (over fifty) along the east side of the distant shoreline.
Unfortunately I didn’t have more time to wait on the advancing tide pushing them nearer the
shore.
On my way along the remaining section of path, I snapped a Starling that was exploring the area
of a field below a tree. I followed this with a quartet of garden escapees: Wood Spurge (linkF),
Lenten Rose, Greater Periwinkle and Daffodil. At the car park I noticed an insect probing deep
into a Dandelion flower. Unfortunately I was unable to identify it.
| Starling |
Wood Spurge |
 |
 |
| Lenten Rose |
Greater Periwinkle |
 |
 |
| Daffodil |
Dandelion |
 |
 |
As I neared the car, a huge “V” of over 50 Pink-footed Geese flew overhead heading north,
honking all the way.
I got a couple of shots of a female Chaffinch that was exploring the branches of the tree at the
entrance to Ardmore House. After that, it was back to the car for tea and oat biscuits. My tea was
interrupted however, when I heard the calls of some Curlews that were talking off from rocks on
the far end of the South Bay, I hastily put down my cup, grabbed the camera and caught one of
the curlews as it passed over the fields as it headed for the North Bay. My final shot of the day was
of a small flock of Greylag Geese that I spotted just after I had driven over the level crossing. They
were grazing in the left field but I managed to stop the car and fire off a couple of shots from the
car, through a gap in the hedgerow.
It was a very satisfying and productive visit (35 species photographed). My favourites were the
Common Seals, Blue Tit, Greenfinch, Wren and Chiffchaff. Hopefully I can find a place where I can
make it three good-weather weeks in a row.
Week ending: 24th March: Doonfoot
Well, surprise surprise - Sunday promised to be a nice weather day sandwiched between periods
of cold, wild, wet and windy days - at least according to the Met Office. There was to be a slight
chance of a shower in the east, so I opted for a day at Doonfoot, Ayr, where John and I last visited
at the start of last December. The chances of seeing lots of birds was reduced by the high tide
and high numbers of walkers enjoying a Sunday stroll. Also, plants and insects had yet to
reappear after winter, so I wasn’t optimistic. John was still recuperating but I was accompanied by
my wife, Jenny.
We popped into Ayr Morrisons on Castlehill Road for breakfast (9/10: excellent) before driving to
the Castle Walk car park near the mouth of the River Doon. As we walked to the pond, which is
adjacent to the car park, we could see the ruin of Greenan Castle about half a mile away. There
was a Redshank bobbing its head as it stood by the pond near a pair of Mallards. At the opposite
end of the pond, some Rooks and Jackdaws were making lots of noise as they squabbled over
food.
| Greenan Castle |
Redshank |
 |
 |
| Female Mallard |
Drake Mallard |
 |
 |
| Rook |
Jackdaw |
 |
 |
The high tide had cut off the route onto the beach that I usually take in order to view the mouth of
the river, so I decided to take the footbridge across to the other side of the river since I could see
there were birds there. Below is the view from the bridge looking out to the river mouth with Ayr
distant on the right.
The view from the other side of the bridge revealed snoozing Redshanks lined up along the bank
The Redshanks each had their beaks tucked under their wings. We moved along the footpath on
the opposite side of the river and noticed a group of Teal on the river. Just below the seawall there
was a large patch of an early blooming wildflower, Few-flowered Leek , Allium paradoxum.
There was a cold, stiff wind blowing, witnessed by the many white horses on the water.
Further along the footpath we were able to access the beach. We got better views of the Teal and
Herring Gulls on the water. We were entertained by the beach-combing Carrion Crows, and in
particular, one crow that had managed to catch a small Crab. The human footfall was heavy and
had obviously driven off any waders, so we doubled back towards the bridge. I spied an attractive
clump of Daffodils in the middle of the sandy foreshore.
| Teal |
Herring Gull |
 |
 |
| Carrion Crow |
Daffodil |
 |
 |
Near the bridge, as I was taking pictures of one of the many Mute Swans on the river mouth, I
noticed that there were Turnstones low down on the near bank. I stood on the wall and managed
a quick shot without spooking the birds. Before recrossing the bridge I managed another two
wildflower shots: a large Gorse bush and a patch of Lesser Celandine.
| Mute Swan |
Turnstone |
 |
 |
| Gorse |
Lesser Calandine |
 |
 |
Next we drove to the Greenan car park, from where we set off of the usual circuit taken by John
and me around the castle ruin. There was a large flock of House Sparrows in the first row of
hedges near the car park but we didn’t see anything of note until we reached the ruin. There were
a pair of Rock Pipits at the base of the castle rock. They seemed to be tolerant of the many
passing walkers, including us, so I got a few pleasing close shots. In a rocky crevice just above
the pipits, a Common Scurvygrass plant was in flower. I was able to snap a few photos by
carefully scaling the low climb over the damp and mossy rocks.
The castle ruin loomed above us and the tide water level rose as we picked our way across the
ever-vanishing dry land below the castle. We rested for a few minutes on the small beach in the
cove behind the castle rock. There I photographed a Carrion Crow that winked and watched me
consume a tangerine as I sat on a washed up tree trunk.
Next we moved across the edge of a field where John and I usually manage shots of small birds
that usually occupy the bushes that line the field. However, the birds were conspicuous by
their absence. I heard a Wren and also a Dunnock, but they eluded the camera by keeping on the
far side of the hedges. On the plus side though, I found a trio of blooming wildflowers, namely
Common Field Speedwell, Red Deadnettle and Ground Ivy all growing
beneath the hedgerow./
We left the field and scaled the steep slope up to the castle ruin. From there we moved around the
edge of another field, where I snapped another pair of wildflowers, Red Campion and
Dog’s Mercury, that were growing below the hedgerow that lined the field. I was thinking
how disappointed I was that we had encountered so few birds on the circuit, when I spotted a
Goldcrest working its way around the branches of a Hawthorn bush. I patiently attempted
to photograph the wee bird as it jumped unpredictably from twig to twig, and my patience paid off
in the end.
Although I photographed fewer birds than usual (12 bird species seen) this was compensated for
by an increase in the number of wildflowers seen (10 flower species photographed). Also, the
good weather lead to a better quality of photo. So overall, I consider the outing to have been a
mild success. My favourite sighting has to be the Goldcrest, followed by the Rock Pipit,
Speedwell and Red Deadnettle. Let’s hope the good weather returns next week.
Week ending: 17th March: Musselburgh
The was no glorious weather predicted for Central Scotland on Sunday, just more of the cold,
overcast skies with just a small chance of the odd sunny interval. Conditions seemed to be better
in the east so I opted for Musselburgh, partly because there had been decent sightings of the
mature drake King Eider with a huge gathhering of Common Eiders . Unfortunately the
tide would be low for most of the time of my visit, which means the Eiders might be well offshore.
I was on my own once more as John was still recuperating. I parked near the Cadet Hall by the
mouth of the River Esk. The light was very poor and there was a very light rain falling. My first
shots were of Starlings feeding on the grass near the hall. Scanning the river, I could see a lot of
bird activity. Goldeneyes were diving midstream and Black-headed Gulls and Redshanks were
along the river edges.
| Starling |
Goldeneye |
 |
 |
| Black-headed Gull |
Redshank |
 |
 |
Mallards were courting and a fair number of Wigeon were braving the shallow, rapid section of
water.
| Drake Mallard |
Female Mallard |
 |
 |
| Drake Wigeon |
Female Wigeon |
 |
 |
Further along the banks of the river, Dunlins were scurrying around, occasionally dunking their
heads below the water as they searched for invertebrates. A few Common Gulls were scavenging
beside them, including one juvenile that had found what looked like the carcass of a fish.
As the seawall turned the corner away from the river there was a line of birds foraging along the
shoreline, including Bar-tailed Godwits, Curlew and of course the ubiquitous
Oystercatchers.
Eventually I could see the Eider flock I was looking for, but I was disappointed to find that it was
too far away from the shore for my 600mm lens.
I also could just make out another flock beside the eiders, a Scoter flock, that consisted of
Common Scoters and Velvet Scoters. I planned to return to check on the
whereabouts of these flocks after I’d investigated the Scrapes, (“new” and “old”).
Just before I left the seawall to check out the new scrapes, I was pleased to see a winter plumage
Slavonian Grebe surface only 20m out from the seawall. I also snapped a passing Shag, as
well as a Carrion Crow that was looking at me as I leaned over the wall. An Oystercatcher flypast
completed my quartet of shots there.
| Slavonain Grebe ( Winter Plumage ) |
Shag |
 |
 |
| Carrion Crow |
Oystercatcher |
 |
 |
As I neared the first of the hides of the New Scrapes, I came upon several instances of the early
Spring flower, Coltsfoot. Next, a pair of passing Skylarks descended onto the path fences
about 40m away. I walked nearer to try to get a better shot but they took off again. However, to
my astonishment, one of them returned to a fence-post only a couple of metres from me and
allowed me to fire of a few shots before flying off. Further along the path, Red Deadnettle plants
were in flower and by the gate to the first hide I found a Sepsis Ensign Fly on a Coltsfoot flower.
| Coltsfoot |
Skylark... |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Red Deadnettle |
Sepsis Ensign Fly |
 |
 |
I briefly visited a couple of the hides but the birds - Shelducks, Wigeon and Oystercatchers - were
too far away and in very poor light, for decent shots. Also the rain intensified so I hastily returned
to the car and drove to Levenhall Links. I set off for the Scrapes via the seawall. The picture below
shows Turnstones standing on a waste pipe.
Also on the pipe were a pair of snoozing Common Eiders and some Herring Gulls. Just below the
seawall a Curlew, Oystercatchers and some of the Turnstones were feeding at the shore’s edge.
Further west at the seawall, a Red-breasted Merganser was making repeated dives before
eventually flying further offshore.
Behind me I heard a calling Stonechat and very quickly I located it on a bush at the edge of the
Scrapes. About 40m further along in the same area I heard the call of a Reed Bunting and once
again found it calling from the top branches of a bush. Back at the seawall I snapped a sunlit
Carrion Crow - yes the Sun finally made an appearance - and I followed this with a sighting of a
flypast of a pair of Long-tailed Ducks.
| Stonechat |
Reed Bunting |
 |
 |
| Carrion Crow |
Long-tailed Duck |
 |
 |
As mentioned earlier, my intention was to seek out the Eider flock again to see if they were any
nearer to the shore. I found it without much bother and saw that it had split into two. The main
flock was still very distant but there was a significant number of eiders drifting slowly nearer the
shore. Later I pored over my pictures of the flocks but I didn’t see the King Eider. I can only
assume it was with the distant flock.
Sadly the full scoter flock remained very distant, but impressively large nevertheless.
Finally I left the seawall and walked to the Scrapes, passing a small flock of Stock Doves
that were grazing on the grassland to the west of the reserve. A Blackbird met me on the access
path as I made my way towards the north most scrape which had a large population of birds - Wigeons,
Teal and a Shelduck pair, and also a Long-tailed Duck, probably the same bird I’d seen last month
with John. The other hides yielded no notable sightings, probably due to the fact that the tide was
low and the birds were down there feeding on the sands.
| Stock Dove |
Blackbird |
 |
 |
| Wigeon |
Teal |
 |
 |
| Shelduck |
Long-tailed Duck |
 |
 |
Despite the gloomy weather I managed to
photograph 33 species. My favourites were the Skylark, Red-breasted
Merganser, Long-tailed Ducks and Slavonian Grebe. Spring starts on
Wednesday 20th of March but the weather predicted for next Sunday looks
similar to what we’ve experienced for the last fre weeks - cold
and cloudy woith sunny intervals, with alikely hood of rain and maybe
even snow.
Week ending: 10th March: RSPB Lochwinnoch
( Map )
It was another gloomy and damp Sunday. The prospects were slightly slightly better for the west
so I opted for a well-overdue (after nearly a year) visit to RSPB Lochwinnoch (Web Site), not just
because it is a great place to photograph birds and nature’s delights in general, but also because
it has a few covered hides and an excellent visitor centre where I could shelter from the rain. You’ll
guess from that last statement that I was on my own again since John was still unavailable to
accompany me.
 |
 |
I started at the Channel Hide, which has good views of the southwest end of Aird Meadow and, of
course, the eponymous channel. The light was dreadful but I managed my first sightings straight
away. Teal were dabbling along the edges of the channel and a pair of Canada Gees flew in,
honking furiously as they descended onto the the damp scrapes. An unconcerned Carrion Crow
barely paused as it bathed in the channel.
| Female Teal |
Drake Teal |
 |
 |
| Canada Goose |
Carrion Crow |
 |
 |
I soon decided to check out the bird feeder that’s adjacent to an impressive children’s play area
skilfully crafted from logs, branches and rope. On my way there I noticed flowers were blooming in
the small garden beds outside the Visitor Centre. Snowdrops and Daffodils were most prominent
but my eyes were drawn to a garden variety of Lungwort (e.g. Pulmonaria “Blue Ensign”)
and also a couple of well-formed Lenten Roses, which are not in the Rose family, but are
Hellebores in the Buttercup family. It was good to see them on such drab weather.
| Common Snowdrop |
Daffodil |
 |
 |
| Lungwort |
Lenten Rose |
 |
 |
I was delighted to see that there was plenty of bird activity at the feeding station. I was even more
delighted when I managed to snap a Nuthatch during one of its brief visits. There were also
multiple visits to the seed table by Chaffinches.
A big Collared Dove cleared the table of other birds when it landed there. However it didn’t stay
long when it heard my camera shutter.
I got a sneaky shot of a Great Tit that was sitting on branches above me waiting for a opening on
the hanging feeder. A Treecreeper appeared creeping up the bark of the seed table (which
is a long tree stump), while a trio of Long-tailed Tits sneaked into one of the hanging feeders that’s
designed to be used only by small birds due to an outer guardian that only they can sneak
through. A Blue Tit proved to be most difficult the photograph. I made many attempts to catch an
image but it was too nippy, but ultimately I was successful when I trained the camera on the
feeder and waited until it landed.
| Great Tit |
Treecreeper |
 |
 |
| Long-tailed Tit |
Blue Tit |
 |
 |
My next stop was at the impressive Aird Meadow hide. Below is the view through the hide
window looking towards Lochwinnoch village.
A pair of Canada Geese were feeding in the reeds. Near them, a Black-headed Gull stood on a
grassy mound as a Pair of Goosanders paddled by, the female obviously irritated by the attention
she was receiving from the male. The only other bird I could see, a Cormorant, was standing on a
platform with a Black-headed Gull, at least 150m across the loch.
| Canada Goose |
Black-headed Gull |
 |
 |
| Goosander |
Cormorant |
 |
 |
Suddenly, about a dozen very noisy Canada Geese, previously unseen, ascended from the reed
bed and flew over the water …
… eventually landing about 50m in front of the hide. Their lively antics were probably related to
courtship.
A fellow birder entered the hide and described how the wind and rain was very unpleasant on the
boardwalk. I vaguely remember from my last visit nearly a year ago, that work had started on the
boardwalk to Peel Tower, but I hadn’t realised that it was completed. So despite the inclement
weather I set off to explore it. On the trail leading there I came across several fungi, namely
Scarlet Elfcup amongst the leaf litter, Blushing Bracket on a Silver Birch and a large
Turkeytail growing on a discarded log.
At the end of the old Aird Meadow Trail I moved onto the newly installed, 400m long boardwalk.
Below is the view from there, looking across loch to the visitor centre.
The end point of the boardwalk is the ruin of Peel Tower . The ruins of the early mediaeval
tower stand on the southern shore of the loch at Aird Meadow, adjacent to the Castle Semple
Loch. This tower was probably used as a fortified stronghold by the people of the area around the
loch for defence against bandits and other dangers, as only the locals knew the safe paths
through the marsh.
There were no birds to be seen around the tower. They were probably too sensible to be on the
water in such choppy conditions. I hastily retraced my steps back to the visitor centre, and on the
way I noticed Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage growing near some Scarlet Elfcup. A final
look from the Channel hide resulted in good views of a drake Mallard swimming down the channel
just as a Grey Heron flew in from Barr Loch and settled at the back of the scrapes. A quick scan
of the scrapes produced pictures of a Moorhen, …..
| Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage |
Drake Mallard |
 |
 |
| Grey Heron |
Moorhen |
 |
 |
…. Lapwing and bathing Jackdaws. I finished with pleasing shots of a drake Teal and a pair of
Mallards progressing down the channel.
| Lapwing |
Jackdaw |
 |
 |
| Teal |
Mallard |
 |
 |
Despite the rotten weather 26 species were photographed, so the visit was a success. My
favourites were the Nuthatch, Treecreeper and fungi: Scarlet Elfcup and Blushing Bracket. There
seems to be no let-up in the run of miserable weather, but I know it will improve some time and it
might even be next week.
Week ending: 3rd March : Stevenston, Saltcoats and Irvine Harbour
A fairly pleasant Sunday was predicted for the Ayrshire coast so I headed for Stevenston Point.
Once again John was unavailable so I’d have to up my spotting skills.
The tide was low and rising when I arrived. There were no birds to be seen off the head of the
Point, but I did see dogs and their walkers disturbing a large flock of birds being displaced from
the sands to the south. Luckily they circled back to a position a little further south.
I positioned myself a bit closer to the action to get a better chance of a picture. The birds were
small waders, probably Dunlin, maybe Sanderlings and/or Ringed Plovers, but they were too far
away to identify.
A few of them broke away from those sands and flew around the Point and landed on the large
square concrete block at its northwest corner. I could then clearly see that they were Dunlins. Also on the slab was a single Oystercatcher and close-by a Redshank stood between them on
the water’s edge.
I returned closer to the south sands to further observe the birds there. A Curlew came into view
and wandered in the sands below my viewpoint. A few Oystercatchers were a bit further south. A
section of over 100 of the small waders, now confidently identified as mainly Dunlin, flew a bit
closer, following in the rising tideline. I was hoping that as the dog walkers had passed, the flock
would get a lot nearer. However, a paramotor daredevil roared in from the nearby fields and began
circling the sands where the birds were feeding. The Curlew took flight, as did a fair number of the
Dunlins. Once again they flew around the Point and landed in the northeast corner.
I crossed the Point to observe and hopefully photograph them and I settled on my trusty 3-legged
stool, with the Sun behind me, and snapped a few Dunlin and also a Ringed Plover
Unbelievably, a man and woman clambered down over tricky rocks onto the sands close to where
the birds had settled. That was bad enough, but the man was carrying a wee dog which he gently
placed on the sand to let it run about and chase stones he threw in the water. Needless to say, the
Dunlins took off, mostly to the north, …….
….. but some eventually settled on the rocks near the head of the Point.
More cars arrived, some with motorised vehicles, so I relocated to the car park of Auchenharvie
Golf Course to have a look at the small loch there. My half hour stay yielded 10 bird species, first
of which were Tufted Ducks, Coot, Carrion Crow and Little Grebe.
| Tufted Duck |
Coot |
 |
 |
| Carrion Crow |
Little Grebe |
 |
 |
Further along the loch I was pleased to see two drake (Greater) Scaups paddling near the
island along with a pair of Goldeneyes.
At the end of the loch, near the castle ruin, there was a small flock of about a dozen Canada
Geese, some on the grass others on the water.
Sharing the area with the Geese were a few Mute Swans. I photographed a courting pair, just
missing the elusive “heart” shot. It may be worth noting that there weren’t as many Herring Gulls
as I’ve seen there. As I returned to the car I got a shot of a Magpie on a conifer near the golf
clubhouse.
| Canada Goose |
Mute Swan |
 |
 |
| 2nd Cycle Herring Gull |
Magpie |
 |
 |
I next drove a mile up the road to Saltcoats Harbour.
Sadly, the bird count around the harbour was low, although I got some nice shots of a pair of
Herring Gulls that were sunbathing on the harbour’s edge. From the observation tower at the end
of the harbour I spotted Great Black-backed Gulls with Shags on an exposed rock near the
harbour mouth. On my way back to the car I snapped an obliging Feral Pigeon and a Redshank
just below the sea wall.
My final location was Irvine Harbour. The car park was nearly full as people took advantage of the
very nice weather. A drake Red-breasted Merganser and a Shag were diving in the
estuary and a few pairs of Mute Swans, along with one juvenile, were foraging at the mouth of the
estuary.
| Red-breasted Merganser |
Shag |
 |
 |
| Mute Swan |
Juvenile Mute Swan |
 |
 |
I passed the Bridge of Scottish Iventions on my way back to the car. It was the footbridge
that took visitors to the Big Idea - a science centre that closed soon after the opening of the larger
and more centrally positioned Glasgow Science Centre.
Below is the view looking northwards up
the River Garnock. Note the small raft at the bottomright of the shot,
a favourite lounging spot for Seals.
The magnified view of the raft shows 5 closely grouped seals lounging on the partially submerged
raft. I sat for a while at the confluence of the River Garnock and the River Irvine. An irate Great
Black-backed Gull began calling from the top of a pillar. A pair of young men decided to do a spot
of fishing at the mouth of the estuary and displaced a flock of Turnstones. They darted
upstream past where I was standing on the prom and onto the corner of the bank on the opposite
side of the River Irvine. I finished the visit with shots of a Black-headed Gull posing on a post,
and of a Jackdaw looking for titbits.
| Grey Seal |
Great Black-backed Gull |
 |
 |
| Turnstone... |
|
 |
 |
| Black-headed Gull |
Jackdaw |
 |
 |
The weather turned out better than predicted with virtually 100% sunshine throughout. My overall
impression of the birds at each location was that there were slim pickings, but on compiling this
blog I realise that the number of species photographed was a fairly healthy 23. My favourites were
the Dunlins, Scaup and Red-breasted Merganser. I hope the pleasant weather was an indication
of more such days to follow. Fingers crossed.
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