A walk to Pollok Park and back produced Stock Doves in the park itself (one) and along the riverside path west of Shawbridge (two). A white dove in a tree in the park was probably a Feral Pigeon but just possibly might have been an aberrant Stock Dove. Female Mallards on the river had, respectively, three and four ducklings. Single Chiffchaff and Blackcap were in song. A Red Admiral was over Shawhill Road.

Oystercatchers were calling repeatedly from the roof of the shopping centre opposite today. A Stock Dove showed well in Queen's Park (where the Tufted Duck brood is now down to three) and a Pied Wagtail was (again) hunting next to Shawlands Bowling Club. At least five Swifts were over Pollokshaws Road.

A short visit to Cathkin Marsh this morning found Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Sedge Warbler and Grasshopper Warbler all in song. Marsh Cinquefoil was in flower, Meadow Brown and ringlet buttelies were on the wing and two Swifts were hunting over the marsh.

The Tufted Duck family on the main pond in Queen's Park had relocated to the small pond when I checked today and the number of ducklings had dropped from eight to four. A Pied Wagtail in the Car Park of the Waverley Park apartments was my first for the locality since moving here.

A Kingfisher was calling from the river near the Mill Brae bridge this afternoon. The cold weather of the past four days seems to have scared off the Swifts and Swallows that were so welcome just a week ago. 

Two Chiffchaffs were singing near Shawlands train station when I walked past there this evening. Cooler weather has arrived over the past few days, severely reducing the activity of pollinators and other insects.

Highlights of an evening walk around Pollokshaws were a Kingfisher disturbed from just upstream of Shaw Bridge and and a single Sand Martin feeding just west of there.

Today proved to be another rather rainy day. However we took advantage of a brief dry spell to walk around Queen's Park. In spite of the many gulls present, some of the waterbirds appear to have managed to breed including Coot (with two broods of four young out on the water, a single, large juvenile begging from an adult and an apparently occupied nest). Tufted Duck was the other notable breeder we encountered with a female escorting eight tiny ducklings on the main pond.

With today being Chris's birthday and it also being virtually the longest day of the year, I decided to try and see both the sunrise and the sunset. Consequently I was in position near the flagpole in Queen's Park at 04:30 (along with a group of good-natured young people who appeared to have been partying there all night). Sunrise, when it arrived, was barely perceptible due to heavy, low cloud. However the rain did stay away and I spent the next three hours walking the perimeter of what looks like becoming my new "patch".Some of the notable finds along the way included Stock Doves singing at two sites, a pair of Oystercatchers flying over Hutcheson's playing fields and two cockerels crowing (one in Queen's Park and one in Pollok Park). The rest of the day was very wet, and when the time came for sunset, that too was obscured by low cloud and rain.

Two Swallows were again feeding around the bowling club on Pollokshaws Road  (and, at one point, alighting on the ground). A Stock Dove was singing in Newlands, two Speckled Woods were fighting in Queen's Park and at least two Oystercatchers were calling at the Shawlands Arcade.

A Buzzard being mobbed by ten Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a singing Whitethroat provided a nice send off after 21 years in south Cardonald. Two Swifts overhead welcomed us to Shawlands.

A Collared Dove in Cardonald and a single Swift over Kilmarnock Road, Shawlands were the highlights of a sunny day in Glasgow today.

A Buzzard was making quite a racket in the woods next to the house, perhaps in response to being mobbed by other birds. 

The two pairs of Mute Swans in Murdieston Park, Greenock still had broods of eight and four cygnets respectively. Of the seven Tufted Ducks out on the water, all but two were drakes, raising the possibility that a female or two may have been on eggs.

A nervous female Mallard was escorting three ducklings along the edge of the river this afternoon. Another species doing wel, locally is jackdaw with young birds calling from various spots around my home square. Three Red-legged Shieldbugs sunning themselves on the same tree was a good record. The first Raspberries have appeared along the local footpaths.

Another busy day with the only natural connections being singing Song Thrush and Blackcap in the "nature reserve" over the back fence.

I was mostly confined to the house and garden today. However a break outside provided an unexpected highlight in the form of my first two local Swifts of the year.

I estimated at least 15 active House Martin nests were on the pavilion at "the  wickets" in Paisley today. 

A male Whitethroat has resumed singing in the scrubland behind my house.

With some business to do in the west end of Paisley, I took the opportunity to walk through Fountain Gardens. the rookery there was mostly quiet although there were a few birds still calling from the nesting trees. 

The warm, summer air over Balfron was full of bird sounds this afternoon with House Sparrows, House Martins and Swallows around the houses, Woodpigeons and corvids over the fields and Pheasant, Buzzard and Oystercatcher calling in the distance.

Wet weather and little time meant only a short, local walk today, a singing Coal Tit and a probable Blue Tit fledgling being the highlights.

Single Kingfishers were at two sites on the White Cart near my home today. Great, Blue and Long-tailed Tits have become more vocal recently, possibly because they are calling to fledged broods. Jackdaw chicks seem to have fledged.

Nine Black-headed Gulls (still in summer plumage) were around my local patch when I walked through this evening. I assume they are failed or non-breeders. At least one Jackdaw chick was calling from a nest hole in a house in Moulin.

Wood Warbler, Grey Wagtail, Whinchat, Jay, big raptor.

Day 3. Wood Warbler, Redstart, Common Sandpiper, Grey Wagtail, Redpoll, Stonechat.

Day 2. Singing Wood Warblers and Redstart. Jay at chalet park.

Tuesday, June 03, 2025

The first day of our walk from Alexandria to Crianlarich began in heavy rain. The conditions no doubt limited the number and variety of bird species recorded. However some notable finds were singing Linnet, singing Tree Pipit and Oystercatchers on territory.

I came across three seperate fledged broods of Blue Tits during a walk around Pollokshaws today. A check of the House Martin breeding site on Pollokshaws Road found only the remnants of nests - I wonder if the residents have knocked them down. The presence of three Swallows in the area was slight compensation.

Two unusual birds on my home patch on the first day of June were an Oystercatcher flying up the Brock Burn and three Canada Geese flying west over Moulin Circus. Other notable sightings consisted of two Treecreepers, a Nuthatch, a Kingfisher and a Great Spotted Woodpecker. I managed to locate at least three broods of Blue Tit chicks.