Two Siskins were among four finch species on the very short list of birds seen or heard during today's walk. 

Small birds are becoming much more vocal with four tit species and four finches all heard on today's walk. However I haven't seen or heard a Blackbird or a Song Thrush for what seems like weeks. 

A Great Spotted Woodpecker called several times as it flew high over the house this morning. Two Rooks were feeding on the playing fields with the usual Carrion Crows, Magpies and Jackdaws.

A Kestrel, a Turnstone and two Rock Pipits were at the extreme west end of Portobello Beach. Back in Glasgow, a Peregrine was calling over the traffic noise from the roof of the Cineworld Cinema.

Saturday, August 27, 2022

A Chiffchaff was still calling during today's local walk. Wren and Robin have both suddenly become more vocal with a total of twelve of the latter including six in song.

Some good birds on show in Largs this afternoon consisted of Gannet, Black Guillemot, Turnstone (16), Sandwich Tern, House Martin and Pied Wagtail (ten birds on the putting green). Two Harbour Porpoises were out beyond the ferries.

Two Starlings were singing from rooftops where they bred earlier in the season. The local Robins are definitely more vocal now with lots of ticks, rattles and even winter song.

Baron's Haugh held a good selection of waders when I visited today consisting of Green Sandpiper (5), Common Sandpiper (1), Curlew (1), Greenshank (1), Black-tailed Godwit (4), Snipe (3) and Lapwing (60+).

The sighting of a single Swallow over Ralston Golf Course this afternoon coincided with the very welcome return of sunny weather after the past four days of rain.

Highlight of today's walk along the river (in persistent rain) was a Brown Rat swimming strongly from one side to the other. Small birds are gradually becoming a little more visible. There was a huge tit flock near the Cardonald Place footbridge and a Blue Tit even briefly burst into song.

There was quite a lot of fish activity on the river with numerous individuals breaking the surface. They were presumably taking aerial prey but at one point the pattern of ripples made me wonder if there was a hunting Otter down there.

Birds were hard to come by on a walk along the canal through Stockingfield Junction today. A single Moorhen was the only waterbird along a one-mile stretch.

A sunny and breezy walk through Aberlady Bay LNR to Gullane Point this morning produced the following interesting sightings: Up to 100 Gannets fishing close in to shore and passing within a few metres of the headland; at least 100 Eider resting off Hummell Rocks; between 10 and 20 Sandwich Terns commuting back and forth, some with noisy juveniles in tow; Grass of Parnassus flowering among Meadowsweet, Water Mint and Knapweed in damp grassland.

A single Kingfisher called and sped down the river this evening.  The local Bullfinches seem to have had a successful season as I am hearing lots of what I assume to be the contact calls of young birds.

A Swallow and at least two House Martins were over Inverleith Park when I passed through this morning. Later in the day, an unfamiliar, single call coming from tall trees in the Botanic Gardens sounded like it was being made by a finch species but wasn't a sound I had heard before. 

More rain overnight and today brought the water level in the river up considerably. Nothing was venturing out onto the water. All the local Mallards were hauled out next to the pond.

Heavy rain has replaced the sunshine of the past week or so. I watched one of the juvenile Moorhens on the local weir jump into the river and get washed away downstream. I hope it survives the ordeal. A pair of Rooks were calling from the conifers above the weir. I wonder if they have been nesting there.

Some interesting sightings during a trip to Inverclyde to carry out my WeBS count today were: an adult and juvenile Moorhen (with another, unrelated juvenile on the adjacent reservoir); an excellent count of 55 Tufted Ducks (presumably including young of this year); a Common Dolphin "porpoising" only a few metres offshore at McInroy's Point and six Swallows ahead of a thunderstorm at Inverkip.

For the second day running an Otter was on the river near the Cardonald Place footbridge. 

Some interesting sights during today's walk along the river in south Cardonald consisted of: two Kingfishers calling near what I suspect is a nest site; a Moorhen with two half-grown chicks on the Moulin weir; a Carrion Crow panting (in temperatures of around 27 degrees centigrade) on a rooftop; three Chiffchaffs (including two together) calling from cover; a large flock of gulls (Black-headed and Lesser Black-backed) feeding on flying insects and the first Collared Dove I've seen for a couple of weeks.

A thirty-minute walk around Giffnock this morning (the alternative being a shopping trip) managed to produce only nine bird species (and that only with considerable effort). The summer doldrums are in full force.

Two Ravens were calling high over the north edge of Dunbarton this afternoon. Earlier, two broods of well-grown Goosander juveniles were on the river (with more near the rivermouth). A Buzzard was being mobbed by a flock of Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

Two Willow Warblers were singing their sub-song from bushes next to Spier's Wharf first thing. A Mute Swan pair on the canal had six large young in tow and the Mallards on the canal basin included a single juvenile (diving skillfully for submerged plants).

Monday, August 08, 2022

Juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gulls have taken to begging (quite successfully) for scraps from customers waiting at the taxi rank in front of our local supermarket. Nice to see the concern and compassion shown, especially for one which had damaged one of its legs.

At least three Kingfishers were together on the river this evening, presumably a family group.

Few birds were about along the River Enfrick west of Balfron today. However Mallard and Grey Wagtail both had well-grown young on the river.

Friday, August 05, 2022

Great, Coal, Blue and Long-tailed tits are starting to become more noticeable as they roam about my home patch in feeding flocks. I even heard two short bursts of Blue Tit song today.

Some of our commonest birds locally are proving very difficult to locate at the moment. Blackbirds, which were among the most frequently encountered species just a few weeks ago are seldom seen. Ditto Dunnock, House Sparrow and Great Tit. Presumably these and other species are staying hidden while they undergo their post-breeding moult (although I have long suspected that our local House Sparrows temporarily vacate the area in late summer- possibly to exploit a food source elsewhere). Buzzard continues to be recorded daily with the presumed juvenile in the local wood calling on and off all day. The odd Chiffchaff reveals its presence with its "squeaky toy" 'hooweet' call and Kingisher continues to regularly feature on my daily walk list.  

A Chiffchaff was calling from near Cardonald Place Farm this evening. 

Highlights of quite a challenging walk (due to access issues) between Milngavie and Strathblane were a Kestrel being mobbed by a Meadow Pipit and records of Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap (not always easy to find at this time of the year). This evening, a Blackcap was singing strongly in Rosshall Park.

In spite of the attentions of the local Grey Herons and Brown Rats (and potentially the otter on the nearby river), the Moorhens on Rosshall Park Pond seem to have had another good season. Today, two newly-hatched young (to my knowledge, the third brood of the year) were begging for food from a couple of older juveniles. Greenfinch and Blackcap were both singing and at least two Chiffchaffs were giving their "hooweet" contact call.