Much of today was spent in Arbroath where I was attending a non-wildlife event. However I managed quite a long walk around the harbour area and along the shore down past gayfield Stadium. Some interesting sightings included over 100 Guillemots, a Common Tern, a Grey Wagtail and a fly-over Hobby (mobbed by Swallows). A Silver-Y moth on a wildflower meadow strip was also a good find. Heading down to Glasgow this evening, many Roe Deer were in roadside fields and along the motorway verges.

 

A party of Long-tailed Tits and a calling Blackbird were the only natural connections of a busy day at the house in Woodfarm.

Two Swallows were feeding over the show fields at Bellahouston Park this afternoon. Large flocks of Long-tailed Tits were at three sites: Dumbreck, Maxwell Park and south Cardonald.

I came across two large patches of Arum Lily (at the fruiting stage) in a quiet corner of Bishopton today. Birds were fairly unremarkable but it was good to see lots of Swallows exploiting a few very welcome warm and sunny spells.

Some of the highlights of today's local walk were Chiffchaff and Blackcap still present, two Siskins (first I have recorded here for several months) and two Nuthatches.

With an improvement in the weather I undertook quite a long walk from Port Glasgow to Bishopton. Some of the most interesting records were of mammals: a Brown Hare on the edge of Port Glasgow, a dead Shrew sp. close by and a dead Hedgehog at Haddockston Farm.  Continuing the non-bird theme, butterflies consisted of single Peacock and Common Blue while flowering plants included Orpine in several places near Formakin House. Notable birds included two Grey Herons, two Buzzards, a Raven, a Reed Bunting and nesting House Martins in Dungavel Village.

A Grey Heron and a mixed group of (mainly) Shags and Cormorants were at the James Watt Dock in Greenock today with another Grey Heron, two Goosanders and at least thirty Redshanks in front of the retail park at Port Glasgow. 

Three Rooks were the only notable birds recorded during a walk around Woodfarm today.

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

The water level at Cowdenknowes Dam in Greenock was substantially lower than usual when I did my belated WeBS count today. However no waders had been attracted to the exposed mud and I had to be content with a single Pied Wagtail. A Hooded Crow x Carrion Crow down at the play park was my first for the site.

Two Chiffchaffs continue to call around my home 1km square. There was also an alarm-calling Blackcap and a calling Nuthatch.

I was again too busy for natural connections until late in the evening when two small bats (presumably Common Pipistrelles or Soprano Pipistrelles) were hunting over the gardens adjacent to mine. 

Some of the highlights of the SOC Clyde Branch outing to Ardmore Point and Garelochhead today were an Osprey fishing over the Clyde, a great selection of waders in Ardmore North Bay, lots of wildflower colour in the hills above Faslane and caterpillars of both Knot Grass and Elephant Hawk moths.

 

Saturday, August 19, 2023

A walk around the more heavily built-up parts of my neighbouring square centred on Crookston Castle yielded only five species - three corvids, Lesser Black-backed Gull and Great Tit, although an old churchyard produced some interesting fungi records.

 

A Kingfisher sped upstream when I crossed Bonnyholm Footbridge this lunchtime. Also notable were four immature Rooks feeding with two adults on Moulin playing fields.

Two Swallows were still around the big Tesco store at Silverburn when I passed this afternoon. They must breed in the vicinity, but I haven't been able to work out where. A few years ago, a pair seemed to be nesting in a loading bay on the other side of the shopping centre but I wasn't able to be certain then either, mainly because a security guard moved me on (presumbly thinking I was a threat to security). This evening, a Tawny Owl "kee-wick"ed from the woods next to my house in South Cardonald. 

Three Chaffinches flew over the house in Woodfarm first thing this morning. 

Mainly common birds were around Orchard Park when I walked through the area today. A calling Chiffchaff was typical of this time of year. A calling Greenfinch was also notable. A mature stand of Beech trees in one of the local cemeteries was a nice surprise and may bear fruit in the forthcoming fungi season.

I'm spending a lot of time working on a family member's house in Woodfarm these days, so trying to build up a picture of the wildlife of the area. Notable species passing through the back garden today consisted of a Chiffchaff, a small flock of Long-tailed Tits and a bin-raiding Grey Squirrel.

The only notable sighting from today's visit to Barshaw Park was of a single House Martin calling overhead. This evening's moth (following a Large Yellow Underwing yesterday) was an Orange Swift.

Saturday, August 12, 2023

I walked from Troon to Prestwick today. Best birds were on the Pow Burn including a Greenshank, a Mediterranean Gull and a Little Egret.

A walk around the centre of Dunkeld this afternoon produced eighteen bird species (including one hybrid), one butterfly species (Peacock) and one mammal (Fallow Deer). Best bird species were Nuthatch (almost always present near the Cathedral), Kingfisher (my first for the site - a bird watched fishing from a dead tree on the "island" east of the bridge), a Hoodie x Carrion Crow hybrid and a calling juvenile Buzzard. No gulls were present and Swift, House Martin and Sand Martin were also absent. Presumably the gulls had long finished their breeding/summering attempts, but the absence of the latter three species is more worrying. House Martins used to nest on the buildings overlooking the main street but today I could find only two long-abandoned nests. The Fallow Deer are regular at this site. I assume they are feral animals kept by the hotel to the west of the town. Today, the herd consisted of three mature stags (with palmate antlers), four immature stags (with spiked antlers), three fawns and fourteen hinds. All animals had mid- to dark brown or grey-brown coats except a single hind which was creamy white and three further hinds which were lighter brown with pale spots.

Six Swifts were overhead during this morning’s walk from Craggan to Grantown-on-Spey. On the return journey, two more Swifts were over Grant Park and the pond there held 22 Mallards, four Call Ducks and two juvenile Moorhens. Insects were represented by Common Red Soldier Beetle and Greenbottle. The stretch of the walk along the Spey added two Mallards, an immature Goldeneye, two Willow Warblers (one in song), a Treecreeper, a Meadow Brown, two Scotch Argus and an avenue of Aspen trees. In the afternoon, Nethy Bridge held another singing Willow Warbler and a House Martin. Two Great Spotted Woodpeckers were calling near Abernethy Primary School and two Swifts, three Pied Wagtails and a Meadow Pipit were at Castle Roy. Balliefurth Farm had two Swallows, two Small Tortoiseshell butterflies and a dead Field Vole. In the early evening, over 300 Greylag Geese were visible from the “grebe car park” (which also held a Scotch Argus) and Milton Loch had a pair of Little Grebes with three large juveniles.

Pitlochry held a good selection of typical birds today including Dipper, Grey Wagtail, Collared Dove, Tufted Duck, Mute Swan, House Martin and Moorhen. Unfortunately i failed to see any Swifts at this normally reliable location. I did hear Swift calls on my way up to The Cuilc, but I suspect they were being played by one of the houses lining the road in an attempt to entice the species to breed. Strathspey proved to be much better for this species with around 35 birds feeding oiver the Aviemore to Grantown-on-Spey road late in the afternoon. Then around 9pm, thirty birds (possibly the same) were in an extremely compact flock high over the centre of Grantown-on-Spey before they separated into smaller flocks to feed and scream over the town. 

I was too busy for natural connections today. Thankfully however one came to me in the form of a Kestrel powering over the Glasgow Southern Orbital Road. 

Monday, 07 August, 2023

The usual walk along the White Cart and through Rosshall Park this evening produced a family party of Bullfinches, two noisy Goldcrests and lots of singing Woodpigeons. 

A wander around a potential new home patch at Woodfarm, Thornliebank found only the usual city suburb birds (Woodpigeon, Jackdaw etc). However there are some interesting areas of woodland and parkland which may yet produce some interesting species (Nuthatch, Stock Dove, Blackcap etc).

Saturday, August 05, 2023

A single Chiffchaff was calling near Crookston Castle this evening.

A long walk from Darvel to Strathaven today resulted in some interesting natural connections including two adult Lapwings in a group with three large juveniles, a calling Raven overhead, two passing Linnets, a few Common Red Soldier Beetles and a field full of literally hundreds of white butterflies. 

Thursday, August 03, 2023

A Bullfinch piped quietly from the garden on and off all day. 

There was a little less rain today, but the birds encountered during a walk in East Kilbride were unremarkable, with only a calling Chiffchaff at all notable. 

Some good numbers and a good variety of birds were located during a walk around my home square this morning (I wonder if birds are starting to get bolder now that the breeding season is almost over and presumably moult is approaching completion). Some notable examples include calling Chiffchaffs at two locations, a singing Blackcap, a singing Blue Tit (!), two calling Buzzards (possibly juveniles) with a third in the air and a pair of Bullfinches.