Tuesday 18th December 2007

LEFT: 1st winter & 2 female Goldeneye at car park area.

Broadwood Loch, Cumbernauld
The loch was mostly frozen over with only 2 small areas left with open water. There were 10 Goldeneye, 24 Tufted Duck and a female Pochard as well as Mute Swan, Mallard, Moorhen & Coot in the open water area at the car park and a Mute swan, Canada Goose, Canada x Greylag Goose hybrid and a pair of Mallard in a small unfrozen area at the north end of the loch

Tuesday 18th December 2007

SECC, Glasgow
Flushed a Woodcock that was sitting next to my car behind the workshop compound at 2000 hrs.

Monday 17th December 2007

LEFT: One of the Snipe in the Bird Sanctuary Area.

James Hamilton Heritage Park 0900 -1030 hrs
After finishing my nightshift I decided to pay a quick visit to Heritage Loch in Stewartfield, East Kilbride. It was a very cold morning with an edging of ice around the loch, the pool in the bird sanctuary area was completely frozen over.
The usual collection of Mute Swans, Mallards, Coot, Black-headed Gulls and Jackdaws were at the car park waiting to be fed.
There were a few Pochard with the Tufted Ducks at the island, also an adult and a 1st winter Heron on the island. The coot and Moorhen were squabbling as usual with each other as well as with members of there own species.
In the bird sanctuary area there were 4 Snipe, 1 Reed Bunting several Blackbirds, Blue Tit & Great Tit. On the way back to the car park, noticed a 1st winter female Scaup among the Tufted Ducks at the loch outlet. This site seems to attract them with some regularity.
After a nice walk around the loch, I headed home for some much needed sleep.

Kinneil Lagoons and Skinflats on 6th December 2007

Kinneil Lagoons 0830 -1130 hrs

At least 67 Black-tailed Godwit, c.200 Lapwing, c.120 Dunlin, c.140 Redshank and a Greenshank on the lagoons, birds were very restless due to the attempts of a Peregrine to have them for lunch, one Redshank had a very narrow escape when the Peregrine knocked it into the water but it managed to take off and evade the Peregrines talons.

Skinflats 1200 - 1330 hrs

A Greenshnk, a juvenile Ruff, c.100 Curlew, c.200 Lapwing, c. 150 Dunlin, 27 Redshank, 8 Goldeneye, 8 Greylag, c.100 Teal, 7 Mallard and a Shelduck were present on the lagoon's, this time it was a female Sparrowhawk causing some panic.

Also had good views of 3 Roe Deer running past me.

One of the Roe Deer at Skinflats running past.

The other 2 Roe Deer closely following the animal above.