A quick look around Baron's haugh this afternoon produced a good selection of waders including Curlew (1), Lapwing, Redshank (1), Snipe (3), Green Sandpiper (4) and Common Sandpiper (2) (but no sign of the juvenile Little Ringed Plovers reported later). Also good were Nuthatch, Shoveler and Water Rail.

Saturday, July 21, 2018

A walk along the Tweed west of Peebles this afternoon produced four Swifts (over the town), a creche of 21 Goosander juveniles, Sand Martins nesting in a sandy bank (with some juveniles on the wing) up to five pairs of Grey Wagtails (including one pair feeding young), an immature Grey Heron perched high in a tree and a single Dipper.

After three days of single Chiffchaffs calling in south Cardonald, this evening there were singles at three differnt places. A Greenfinch was in full song and two Kingfishers were along the river.

Herring Gulls had well-grown (and mobile) chicks on the rooftops in the west end of Greenock this lunchtime. This evening, a Chiffchaff called from the woodland edge beside the house for the third day this week.

A Sparrowhawk was yickering from the birch woods next to the house while a Chiffchaff called and three House Martins (incredibly rare this year) fed overhead. An evening walk along the river produced all the usual suspects plus a toadlet crossing the path and a Large Yellow-underwing in a privet hedge. Arriving back at the house at 21:45, ten Swifts screamed high overhead.

Today's walk along the Cart in south Cardonald produced a good total of 26 species including Kingfisher, Grey Heron (two instead of the usual one), Stock Dove, singing Greenfinch (unusual here), two calling Chiffchaffs and at least 14 Goldfinches (suggesting a good breeding season). Several patches of Mock Orange (Philadelphus coronarius) were in full flower as they scrambled over the riverside trees.

Biggest surprise of a lunchtime walk around Murdieston Park, Greenock today was a Sedge Warbler singing from the tiny patch of reeds beside the island in Town Dam. Presumably just a passing bird trying out its luck, but a nice record all the same (and my first for the site). Also notable was a small blue damselfly. Back home, a Moorhen was the only notable sighting of an evening walk along the river through south Cardonald.

One of very few rainy day for over a month (and the need to catch up on work) meant natural connections were severely curtailed today.