It was dreich in Queen's Park today. The remaining water birds on the boating pond were concentrated in a small area of unfrozen water. Two Nuthatches were near the flagpole. A Song Thrush and two Mistle Thrushes feeding together enabled a useful side-by-side comparison.

The tide was fully out when I walked around Musselburgh lagoons today. Few birds were on the lagoons but two Bar-tailed Godwits were a nice find among the waders on the exposed beach. Little Grebes, Goldeneye, Great Black-backed Gulls and a leucistic Black-headed Gull were the best birds on the Esk. Shepherd's Purse was flowering nearby.

My regular walk around Pollokshaws today produced some good local birds, namely Little Grebe, Moorhen, Stock Dove, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Greenfinch. 

With much of the local landscape still frost-bound, the unfrozen drainage ditch in Auldhouse Park was a magnet for birds with Blackbird, Redwing, Song Thrush, Robin, Chaffinch and Woodpigeon all present. A Treecreeper and Grey Wagtail nearby were good records for the park. I decided to walk up the Auldhouse Burn a little way to see if any birds were using it. However I was disappointed to find it a cloudy grey colour and totally devoid of any bird life. A Buzzard, four Grey Squirrels and four Bullfinches in the woods behind Eastwood were some consolation.

The clear, sunny weather of the past few days was replaced today by dampness and murk. A walk in Kelvingrove was equally depressing with four Redwings being the only notable sighting.

With the weather still very settled and bright, I decided to do a longer walk today, starting in Castlemilk and covering the Cathkin Braes, the edge of Carmunnock, the Netherton Braes, Linn Park and the White Cart Water back to Shawlands. Some highlights were four Dippers (including a singing bird), five Jays (including four mobbing an unseen predator - possibly a roosting Tawny Owl), a flyover Raven, literally dozens of Blackbirds (with smaller numbers of Redwing and Fieldfare), three Roe Deer, three Red Foxes, four Grey Squirrels, 54 Mallards on the river at Holmlea Park and twelve Goosanders (with another 25 Mallards) next to the footbridge over to Albert Park.

I carried out my second New Year Plant Hunt this moning this time around Pollokshields. I only managed to find four plants, but the very cold and frosty conditions probably didnt help. I did find two Apple trees along the railway line on Darnley Street and a calling rooster was an interesting record near Albert Drive.