For once, the mid-term break co-incided with some favourable weather, so the morning was spent in Mugdock Park and the afternoon around South Kirkton Moor.
The area around the Visitor Centre at Mugdock was alive with birds. Chaffinches, Robins, Blackbirds, Coal, Great and Blue Tits and Jackdaws were visiting the feeders and Greenfinches were singing from the trees overhead. A Chaffinch was singing near the adventure playground with another singing near the boardwalk. Mallards and a single Tufted Duck were the only waterfowl on Craigend Loch. Also present were two Black-headed Gulls and a Common Gull.
Nineteen Goosander (but no Goldeneye) were on Mugdock Loch, with one bird moulting from immature to adult male plumage. A Grey Heron was in the reeds and a Cormorant was an unusual sight on the "island" (with a pair of Mute Swans nearby). A Great-spotted Woodpecker called from just east of the loch and a Wren sang from west of the castle, where 6 Goldfinces were chasing around the treetops and  Snowdrops were flowering on the steep slope.
The Cormorant was a new bird for me for Mugdock. Also new was a Magpie near the castle.
This afternoon, a check of tetrad NS55K (South Kirkton Muir west of Eaglesham) proved rather fruitless. The area is pretty barren with mostly unimproved grassland and very little cover. There is a small deciduous wood (completely empty), a few strips of conifers (ditto), a Trout fishery and four isolated farms/cottages. The only bird over the grassland was Carrion Crow, with at least three pairs present (adjacent tetrads also had Rook, Jackdaw and a single Raven). The fishery only held a single Grey Heron. I had to forgo checking the farms so as not to upset the occupants, but 25 Feral Pigeons were wheeling overhead.