SOLWAY: Barrage of Abuse

Adult Mediterranean Gull at Brow Well near Caerlaverock, Dumfries & Galloway 28 July 2009.

July? More like October! Despite the blustery weather and squally showers there was still an air of optimism as I jumped in the car this morning It "felt" like autumn today, reflected in the birds (I saw some!) rather than the golden colours of falling leaves. I had only a few hours to spare this morning and with the tide low I concentrated on the Nith rather than the Inner Solway shore with its vast mud and sand flats. Turned out quite well with a couple of nice white birds at Brow Well in the form of a Little Egret and a smashing adult Mediterranean Gull, still with black-hooded finery. I like Med' Gulls but couldn't do this fine specimen justice with my handheld shot and 'scope blowing about in the wind. Nearly thirty years ago I looked for my first one - an adult at a winter roost of Black-headeds on a Middlesex gravel pit. Didn't see it and despite their stunning appearance in field guides I wondered how easy they'd be to pick out in a large gull flock. I finally made myself acquainted with a cracking adult by using the now familar "bread the Med' " method at Epsom Common (I think) but it was some time before I started finding them for myself in roosts (they weren't that common back then). Med' Gull: one to master before moving on to greater headaches!

I popped into Caerlaverock WWT for a quick look at the Folly Pond from the Farmhouse Tower. The pond is filling up now and there's still muddy edges but only a single Common Sandpiper and a few Lapwings found it to their liking. Last stop before lunch was the Nith Estuary itself where in driving rain I saw little apart from 250+ Lapwings, 60+ Redshanks, several hundred Black-headed Gulls and a Peregrine that spooked the lot.
A prior engagement took me to Colvend this afternoon and into the southern section of Dalbeatie Forest where I found myself distracted by Yellowhammers, Bullfinches and another Peregrine. I must admit to being a little more distracted as the high tide hour approached, especially as the south west wind was gaining strength and I was only ten minutes away from Southerness Point.


Pulling up at the point I immediately picked up a few Gannets offshore - normally a good sign. Then Sandwich Terns started to fly by, but it appeared the same birds were just feeding offshore and 8 birds were completing a circuit. Time past without so much as a Manxie let alone the hoped for Storm Petrel. I was just about to set a time limit ("If nothing turns up by .......") when a dark phase Arctic Skua flew west close to the rocks followed by a Manx Shearwater. And that was that! My single Manxie doesn't compare very favourably with the "550 / hour" off Drummore on the Mull by Pete Berry today (per D&G Birding Yahoo Group) but there you go.
My day started and ended with raptor sightings from the car. This morning's bird flew over the A75 as I was sitting in a queue near the bridge over the Annan. A "rangy" raptor flew across, at first I thought "Osprey" but it appeared all dark underneath. As I fumbled for my bins I was thinking "harrier?" but it disappeared behind the trees and the cars started to move. Couldn't pull over in the roadworks so had to let it go. My last bird of the day was indeed an Osprey flying over the A710 near Islesteps as I drove to Dumfries from Southerness. Straight forward this one - even had time to stop the car as it flew from the direction of the Nith towards Mabie Forest.

So "Barrage of Abuse"? Well coincidentally the two sites where I spend most of my UK birding time are both under threat of tidal barrage construction. The Ribble barrage project has become dormant (although it appears it may materialise under another name) and provoked strong reaction from Preston residents. The RSPB raised concerns of course, especially with their new reserve in preparation on the south shore just downriver from the proposed barrage site. The Save The Ribble Blog documents the current situation. The RSPB have also voiced concern regarding the Solway Barrage project, recently receiving £100,000 for a feasibility study. The barrage here would span the narrowest stretch of the Solway from Bowness in Cumbria across to Annan in Dumfries & Galloway - the site of the old viaduct featured in blog posts last May. See here for a computer generated image.

Just updated my Southerness Sightings page.

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