Had a late lunch break in Ayr today, and spent the time walking along the shore from the Seafield Car Park to the Doonfoot Bridge. Lots of birds around. Best were the 24 or so Teal feeding confidingly along the Doon river channel. The scrubby area between the path and the sand was particularly productive with single pairs of Linnets and Stonechats (the female of the latter (collecting nest material) with unusually pronounced white wing patches). Also Lesser Celandine and Common Scurvey Grass in flower. Beside the A77, two Kestrels hunted in the morning and Rooks were carrying twigs to their nests in the afternoon. Oh, and one that got away, a possible Tree Sparrow in bushes beside the approach road to the Whittlets roundabout.
News from the web is that Sand Martins have arrived back in force (with 50 over Strathclyde Loch and nest building at Baron's Haugh). Also on the Web, Steven Round has just published some fantastic new Mandarin photographs.