No searching for Wheatears while these beauties are still about!

Adult Greenland White-fronted Goose with Pink-footed Geese, Arbigland (Dumfries& Galloway), March 2012.

Just spent a wonderful week in Dumfries & Galloway with some excellent before and after-work birding. A reported Glossy Ibis at Mersehead and "near Carsethorn" gave me an excuse to check the area on 13th and 14th. No sign of the ibis but Greenland White-fronted Goose, Green-winged Teal, Ruff, a flock of 25+ Twite were seen and the Red-breasted Goose was still at large in the Loaningfoot area.

European White-fronted Geese with Pink-footed Geese near Lochmaben, 15 March 2012.

I was at a bit of a loose end yesterday lunchtime so I decided to look for the Tundra Bean Goose found by Ken Shaw et al on Monday. The 1200+ Pink-footed Geese just north of Lochmaben were "a few fields in" and many remained hidden in "dead ground". Suddenly the air filled with high pitched goose calls and a flock of 41 White-fronted Geese came in. Closer inspection revealed that all were European White-fronts and they must've joined some already present as I counted 43 in total, possibly a county record (John Nadin pers comm.)?
 The Tundra Bean Goose was close by too but still managed to avoid being captured on film (I'm yet to get a decent picture of one of these, despite a considerable influx this winter).

Redhead Smew on Kirkhouse Fishery Pond near Kirkbean yesterday.

Other highlights from a week north of the border included Smew (above), 44 Whooper Swans heading north up the Nith (seen 14th from the Drumburn Viewpoint), Barn Owl, plenty of Tawny Owls, Peregrine and of course all those Barnacle Geese!