Sunday 22nd January

I had to put my car into the garage in Locharbriggs on Monday. Having arrived ridiculously early, I took a little walk along the cycle track, spotting several tits clearly that were clearly unperturbed by passers-by. They must be used to all the dog walkers. I thought it would be possible to see a bullfinch at this time of year, and sure enough, just after I turned back to return to the main road, one turned up quite close by in the trees. It would have made a good photograph, if only I'd taken the camera!

On Wednesday's bike ride to Loch Arthur, I went via Beeswing and, again with time in hand, decided to take it really slowly and keep my eyes open for wildlife. Typically, there was very little to see beyond a couple of jays in the distance and some swans on the loch itself.

After lunch I cycled back along the road North of Kirkgunzeon with a couple of the others to come across a field full of hundreds of geese.  My guess was that they would be greylags but I wasn't totally sure.  This time I did have the camera and, on observing the photos this morning, started to have more doubts.  In fact others more knowledgeable than myself confirmed that they were pink-footed geese.

Pink-footed geese

Apparently one good tip is that, if the head and neck are noticeably darker than the body, the bird is likely to be a pink-footed goose. What started me wondering was the beaks.  If you look closely, you'll see there is some grey on them.

The conversation on cycling onwards turned to the subject of birds that are seen less these days,and as usual I mentioned the kestrel.

Later I stopped at Lochrutton Loch, disturbing a number of ducks that I couldn't identify as a result, and saw a couple of cormorants and a heron in flight.  Then, heading to the A75 roundabout, what should I come upon but a kestrel, flapping and hovering around the trees.

On the train to Carlisle on Friday, I noticed another flock of geese in a field, behaving in a similar manner to those pictured.  I wonder if they were pink-footed geese too. 

Wednesday 11th January

A rather windy bike ride to Castle Douglas a week ago did not produce much.  The most interesting sighting was two red kites playing around right above the town garden centre just as all the cyclists arrived.  Otherwise, the predominant bird was the robin.  Also wrens, a few goldfinches, and a couple of young buzzards sitting close to the road.

Redshank Steps Out

Malcolm in Northumberland is getting more interested in birdwatching, so there were more interesting results on my latest visit last weekend.  A dog walking trip to Alnmouth Beach on Sunday soon produced redshank, turnstone, sanderling, pied wagtail and rock pipit.  A visit to Warkworth a couple of days later also provided a brief sighting of a seal.

Later on Sunday we visited the pond at Low Newton in somewhat fading light and quickly managed to sight a pair of tufted ducks away from the coots and mallard.  A number of ducks on the far side looked like wigeon to me but an experienced bird watcher from Yorkshire thought they were teal. The photographic evidence isn't conclusive.  Just before the onset of dusk there was a single litle grebe (a first sighting for me) and some whooper swans feeding on the farmland opposite.

The Monday found us trying new pastures at Stag Rock just North of Bamburgh.  This time it was the

Purple Sandpipers - I hope!

brightness that caused some confusion and we spent some time trying to identify a group of birds that we eventually decided were just some unusually quiet and rather plump oystercatchers.

My identification skills with ducks and waders are still somewhat uncertain but I'm fairly confident I managed further first sightings of common scoter and purple sandpiper.  Also apparent were turnstone, sanderling, curlew, herring gull and a couple of stonechat on the edge of the beach.

There wasn't much more swimming further out in the sea apart from a small number of eider and one slight disappointment was the non-appearance of any long-tailed duck. Nevertheless, a rewarding visit to the area for both of us.

Later we briefly went to Fenham Flats opposite Lindisfarne around twilight, just as the geese moved off en masse to roost. They were probably pink-footed geese but far to far off to allow any identification.  So the only new thing we saw was several groups of shelduck, but always a favourite of mine

Monday 2nd January

I managed a mid-festive season walk last Thursday and decided to try one of the walks between Moniaive and Dalry I have noticed while cycling.

Unfortnately the experience was marred by the weather, which although reasonably clear around Dumfries, turned to light drizzle and a fairly substantial mist at my eventual selection, the Margree Circular.

In any case there seemed to be fairly little to see and all I managed to spot in the first hour was one large buzzard disturbed in trees near a lochan and a couple of wrens. As I continued round the forest path, a coal tit started an amusing game of hide 'n' seek as it kept fleeing along the trackside ditch and trying to hide behind any vegetation it could find.  But every time it lost nerve when I drew level and flew on again.

Then there was a small flock of finches in some sparse trees, though the light was so poor it was not possible to pick out any colouration on them at all beyond the white rump in flight.  I supposed that they were bullfinches, though brambling may have been a possibility.

Shortly after this it became apparent that the occasional signposts for the track had become completely non-existent, so there was no way of confirming whether I was on the right road at junctions.  With conditions deteriorating and darkness approaching, I decided to retrace the whole of the route covered so far, at which point the walk became a minor safety exercise and all attempts at spotting were abandoned.

Although the walk was a relative dissapointment, there was one noteworthy feature of the day.  On the drive towards to Moniaive I saw a red kite hovering over the road just a mile or two out of Holywood. Kites have been seen in the Lochmaben area but this is definitely the furthest East I have ever seen them.