Took the train up to Glasgow at lunchtime. Surprised by a perfect patch of Greater Reedmace growing beside the train tracks at Crookston station. Also there were Red Clover and horsetail sp, with masses of Canadian Goldenrod along the route to the city.
Spent the afternoon touring around some good nature sites in the Renfrewshire / Inverclyde area. First bird was a hovering Kestrel just outside Kilbirnie. Our first proper stop was the RSPB reserve at Lochwinnoch. Very few birds about - I have never seen it so quiet. However that was compensated for by two or three Peacock butterflies (see bottom photo), more flowering Greater Reedmace (second bottom), an enormous (7-8 cm), unidentified moth larva and along the new path, a Common Hawker (photo) and a profusion of wild flowers (no doubt encouraged by the disturbance to the land. Most evident were Scentless Mayweed (photo), Policeman's Helmet, Monkeyflower, Common Orache (?) and Red Goosefoot (?).
Stopped at the bridge into Lochwinnoch to find 20 or more Sand Martins, House Martins and Swallows feeding over the river.
Drove on to Gourock and stopped at Cloch Point to check the Clyde. Not much around except for a few Gannets and Cormorants, and large rafts of moulting Common Eider. Stopped again beside the Cal Mac ferry terminal. There was quite a lot of traffic on the river (see photo) but that didn't deter around 50 Manx Shearwaters which appeared over the next 90 minutes. Birds were in small flocks (mostly of 2 to 10), flying up and down river in more or less equal numbers, and wheeling and dipping exhuberantly. Some came in quite close, and I was really struck by how perfectly at home they are in that element.