SOLWAY: Between trips ......

So, still not finished the N. Ecuador postings, haven't even started the S. Ecuador posts and just back from two weeks in Guyana. Way behind so best to go out birding!
Mrs B. and I popped up to D&G today. Bit of a late start (I didn't get back from Heathrow until tea time yesterday) but we were birding north of the border by late morning. Mission D&G Bean Goose started at Islesteps west of the Nith with a sift through the Pink-feet at the side of the A710. No joy but very glad to be back with the geese again after a couple of weeks in the tropics. Loch Kindar was devoid of geese apart from a load of Canadas and Greylags so we drove to Carsethorn with the tide rising. This is a cracking place with plenty of offshore Great-crested Grebes, Mergs and Pintails and regular wintering Whimbrel. Just a single female Scaup today in contrast to the four figure raft observed here last autumn (where do they all go?).
High tide at Southerness Point produced the desired Purple Sandpipers on the rocks near the lighthouse. We counted at least 22, the most we've had for some time here. Not much on the sea apart from a summer plum' Red-throated Diver so we headed for Powillimount where we found a large gathering of Pink-feet. We spent some time going through these for Beans but no joy unfortunately, just 60 or so Barnacle Geese.
On the way back to the A75 we called in at Milton Loch where a 1st winter Med' Gull was the best bird with 26 Whoopers and 9 Pochard noteworthy.

Off to Mexico in a couple of days.

More soon ..........