SOLWAY: American Golden Plover, Annan 24 October 2007.

Mrs. B and I left mid morning 24 October for another few days in Dumfries and Galloway, intending to do a bit of birding near Southerness or maybe Mersehead, in the late afternoon. After a quick break just before crossing the border, I suggested we take a look at the Solway coast at Seafield south of Annan. The old viaduct here is a well-known site for seawatching in the spring and I was merely intending to take a quick look in anticipation of some more exciting times there next May.
We parked on the waterfront and as the tide was dropping many waders were beginning to congregate, mostly Redshanks but there was a nice group of 98 Black-tailed Godwits and 400+ Oystercatchers roosting further east along a rocky shore. We walked to the old viaduct (presumably where the "skua-watch" takes place in the spring), noting a drake Goosander, 3 Whooper Swans and 250 Golden Plover that were in the bay to the west and out of range for close scrutiny. As we neared the car park a flock of "Goldies" flew in, alighting on the exposed mud and I commented that they were worthy of a quick check.

I immediately noticed a slighter, more "leggy" bird at the front of the flock, reminiscent of a "mini Grey Plover". It was a "Lesser Goldie" and I quickly ID'd the bird as an American Golden Plover by virtue of its broad supercilia set off by a dark cap, overall greyish appearance and more crucially its long primary projection beyond the tertials (the latter falling well short of the tail tip when folded).

The bird showed a suffused greyish chest, sharply demarcated from the rest of the white underparts.

This shot shows the capped appearance, broad supercilia, dark scapulars and the primary projection beyond the tertials. At one time the bird preened revealing a more golden-spangled lower back, rump and upper tail. We watched the bird for over an hour, phoning Chris Baines (the only D&G birder we know) and Angus Marray of Birdline Scotland. The bird fed constantly, always at the periphery of the flock of Golden Plover and became more distant as the tide receded.

Eventually we had to leave Annan and head for Southerness where we spent the rest of the afternoon between there and Mersehead seeing plenty of Barnacle Geese. The only other bird of note being a Woodcock at dusk near Carsethorn.