Headed up to Lang Craigs first thing again this morning. The weather was not very promising, with low cloud and persistent rain. However almost the first bird to show was a juvenile Green Woodpecker [155]. It appeared from the west, circled calling, then settled on an exposed branch before heading east towards the crags. It was interesting to notice that the bird favoured a dead branch poking through the canopy. This preference is mentioned in the excellent Kightley, Madge and Nurney (shown below) as a useful aid to finding the species.
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Green Woodpeckers seem to be very patchily distributed in lowland Scotland. To the north of Glasgow (in addition to the Overton records), recent sightings have also come from Loch Ardinning Muir, Blairskaith Quarry and Strathblane, with more in Gartocharn and Fintry. However, the numbers involved seem tiny, and it is not clear if any interchange takes place between populations (for instance, I am unaware of any sites in the Cochno area which might serve as a bridge between the Overton and Loch Ardinning groups). This level of isolation presumably makes populations susceptible to spontaneous extinctions, as seems to have happened at the Hermitage, Prestonfield and Duddingston in south Edinburgh).
Other wildlife around the crags this morning included a Raven, a juvenile Bullfinch and a Red Fox.
A brief visit to Arkleston Farm late morning produced a singing Yellowhammer (rare this year) and around 60 House Martins (the majority juveniles) on wires.
At the other end of the day, a Great spotted Woodpecker was "peep"ing from a tall pine in Fullarton Woods, Troon. Also there were two Buzzards and a Raven noisily sorting out a territorial dispute. Meanwhile, a big Grey Seal was hanging about the fishing boat tie-up.
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