Seafield Bay near Annan, October 2007.It seems like a good time to introduce some of the birding sites on the Inner Solway at the moment. Much of our birding is done between Gretna and the Nith Estuary to the west, with Southerness Point (on the west side of the Nith) as our base and seawatching site.
The top map here shows Annan in Dumfries and Galloway and the English side at Bowness (where most birders watch the overland passage of skuas in Spring). Important birding sites on the D&G shore shown on the map include (from west to east) Powfoot, Newbie (also good for skuas in Spring) and Dornock (Pacific Goldie Sept 2008). The "point" south of Eastriggs is Torduff Point with Browhouses just to the east off the map. Anthorn where the Pacific Goldie was first discovered in Cumbria, can be seen on this map too.
"Zooming in" a bit, the remains of the old viaduct at Seafield can be seen on the left with Seafield Bay just to the east. American Golden Plover (Oct '07) and Green-winged Teal (Dec '07) were seen from the little car park at Whinnyrig. This weekend's Pacific Golden Plover was discovered in the fields and on the beach near Dornock Cottage.
Tides and when to look: Generally most of the sites are best visited an hour or so before, and up to two hours after high tide. I have certainly had best results at Seafield and Powfoot during this period (although admittedly visits only date back 11 months!). Newbie can be good at high tide when the wader roost near Barnkirk Point can be viewed. Browhouses is seemingly OK at any time as waders feed in the pools near the houses at NY282650. The beach at Dornock was full of waders and wildfowl at the weekend, even at low water.
Images reproduced with permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.
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