Wednesday 12th November

Not the best of days out here today, with blustery, squally showers coming out of nowhere... Tomorrow the forecast not good either with the first 2 ferries already cancelled, the sheep sale which should have taken place tomorrow has been postponed until Monday!!! So what about the birds then.. so here are the counts from the "vols" from yesterday, done on the floods at Gruinart. Birds seen were 6 Mute, 5 Whooper, 76 Greylag, 91 Wigeon, 215 Teal, 140 Mallard, 71 Pintail, 31 Shoveler, 1 Heron, 3 Dabchick, 120 Golden Plover, 479 Lapwing, 4 Snipe, 1 BH Gull, 36 C Gull and 5 Herring Gull. Today down close to Rock Mountain a Merlin zipped across the road in front of me, putting up all the wee birds off the fields. At Sunderland, a couple of Herons were standing in the middle of a stubble field, looking a bit out of place! This side of Sunderland, a Peregrine was seen climbing away after possibly an unsuccessful stoop into a few Rock Doves! Coming back up the road past the Coastguards, there still appear to be quite a good number in the mixed flock of Redwings and Fieldfares, possibly sheltering up before this wind picks up!!