SOLWAY: Southerness area 22 October 2008.

A nice start at the point with 4000+ Barnacle Geese on the sands, a respectable 24 Grey Plover, 150 Bar-tailed Godwits, 300+ Knot, 450+ Oycs, 8 Ringed Plovers and 4 Red-breasted Mergansers offshore. Then a harsh call from the caravan site revealed a male Ring Ouzel heading straight at me! A weak goose call overhead sounded odd in with the Barnies and a dark grey goose with black bars on the belly was so low I could see the orange beak: Greenland Whitefront. This mad five minutes was completed with parties of 6, then 8 Fieldafares falling out of the sky. Several Twite on the way back to the 'van for breakfast rounded off the morning nicely.

Mrs B and I opted for a walk along Gillfoot Bay and the inland through Arbigland to Carsethorn with the intention of returning by bus.

There was a little bit of overhead passage as we walked along the beach (Meadow Pipits, Siskin and Redpoll sp.) but the walk produced very little really.

Inland from Gillfoot Bay near Southerness Point, October 2008.

Great Spotted Woodpecker, Arbigland 22 October 2008.

Criffel from Gillfoot Bay, October 2008.

We waited patiently for the tit flocks to pass by en route to Carsethorn but failed once again in our quest for Yellow-browed Warbler, with Bullfinches and Goldcrests keeping us amused briefly. The "resident" Whimbrels were present at Carsethorn shore once again where there was a raft of 120 Scaup in the channels.

An afternoon visit to Mersehead was better than expected with a cracking male Hen Harrier and spectacular flights of wild geese including 500 or so Pink-feet as well as the expected thousands of Barnacles. A couple of wildfowlers (with dogs) using the car park at the RSPB reserve here to access the shore seemed a little bit of a contradiction to bird conservation theme here though.

A Short-eared Owl had been reported the previous evening at Carsethorn so we headed out to the Drumburn viewpoint to watch over the Nith saltings at dusk. No luck but a couple of Little Egrets made the trip worthwhile. A piece of rough grassland had caught Mrs B's eye as a promising site for birds of prey at South Carse so we headed down there. Suddenly the Short-eared Owl appeared quartering the field, at one time crossing the road virtually over the car. We even managed 'scope views of the SEO perched on a fence post before the light faded. A well-deserved D&G tick!