The Inner Solway from Gretna west to Gatehouse of Fleet.
Map showing the Southerness Point area. Key birding sites include Mersehead RSPB is to the west of the point; Powillimount to the east and Carsethorn to the north east on the Nith Estuary. The Drumburn viewpoint is marked to the south of Overton with Loch Kindar to the west. The high ground of Criffel overlooks the estuary. Caerlaverock WWT is just to the right of this image on the east bank of the Nith. (Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland).
View from Saltcoates Hide, Caerlaverock WWT.
We took a liesurely trip up to D&G today, calling in at Seafield Bay near Annan just before high tide, in apparently good conditions for seawatching. However we saw nothing of note here apart from an Arctic Tern, Sanderling and a Whimbrel. If we'd have looked out into the bay (rather than waiting for passing birds) we may have seen the Pomarine Skuas seen from Bowness on the Cumbria side. You live and learn.
Powfoot at high water was pretty good with 14 Scaup, a summer plumaged female Long-tailed Duck, a Pale-bellied Brent Goose and a summer plumaged Sanderling in the Ringed Plover / Dunlin roost.
We then headed round to Caerlaverock WWT where the pair of Avocets were showing well. Looking very settled, it's hoped they'll breed and continue the spread of this species north into Scotland. A very welcome D&G tick indeed.
Black-tailed Godwit, Caerlaverock WWT 24 April 2008.
A pair of Black-tailed Godwits showed well infront of the Folly Pond hide and the few Whoopers remaining were on view from the observatory.
Peter Scott and Brown Hare share an interest in something in the hedgerow at Caerlaverock.
Otherwise it was pretty quiet apart from a hulking great female Peregrine out on the saltmarsh and a walk around the NNR failed to produce the hoped-for Osprey.
Criffel at dusk from our Southerness caravan.
Criffel at dusk from our Southerness caravan. We made a quick stop near Loch Kindar before heading for the caravan at Southerness. Green Woodpecker could be heard in the distance, 3 Scaup were on the water and what was almost certainly an Otter could be seen surfacing periodically near one of the banks in the distance.
