Happy New Year? Well, 2008 got off to a wet start but despite unpromising weather Mrs. B. and I kept to our plans and headed up to D&G to start the new year's birding. I barely had time to stop the car near Gatehouse of Fleet before Mrs. B. stated that she'd seen the Cattle Egret right by the side of the A75.
The weather was dreadful but it didn't stop some intrepid photographers getting decent shots.
The Cattle Egret was very tolerant but not so of the sheep that kept chasing it around. Not much else here to pump up the year list and the rain became heavier so we left for Castle Douglas.
Cattle Egret, Gatehouse of Fleet 1 January 2008.
On arrval at Carlingwark Loch we set out looking for the redhead Smew that had been seen a few days previously but it took quite a bit of finding. Loads of Goldeneye, a few Goosanders, Tufties, Teal and Pochard on view and we finally picked out the Smew in the distance with 5 or 6 female Goldeneyes. A good bird anywhere in the north nowadays as I haven't seen one in Lancs for a couple of years now.
The weather hadn't improved by lunchtime so we set off to Caerlaverock where we could at least bird watch from the hides. We clocked a load of Whoopers just outside Kelton on the Nith, maybe up to 70 or so before reaching the WWT grounds where the fileds were covered in water. The Barnies were out on the saltmarsh and way out of view in the "clag". Yellowhammers were numerous though maybe 30+ around the feeding stations and the Tree Sparrows, Reed Bunt's, etc attracted a Sparrowhawk that darted along the hedgerows leading to the hides. Over a thousand Goldies in the fields plus a few Blackwits and some nice drake Pintails looking resplendent in the rafts of Wigeon and Teal. No sign of the Red-breasted Goose though - will this ever fall onto my D&G list?
The weather hadn't improved by lunchtime so we set off to Caerlaverock where we could at least bird watch from the hides. We clocked a load of Whoopers just outside Kelton on the Nith, maybe up to 70 or so before reaching the WWT grounds where the fileds were covered in water. The Barnies were out on the saltmarsh and way out of view in the "clag". Yellowhammers were numerous though maybe 30+ around the feeding stations and the Tree Sparrows, Reed Bunt's, etc attracted a Sparrowhawk that darted along the hedgerows leading to the hides. Over a thousand Goldies in the fields plus a few Blackwits and some nice drake Pintails looking resplendent in the rafts of Wigeon and Teal. No sign of the Red-breasted Goose though - will this ever fall onto my D&G list?All the best for 2008.
