Tuesday 13th January

Well, the forecast was correct (as ever!) and we awoke this morning to the ground with a covering of snow, not a lot but it carried on with dirty showers through the day. Think that the other side, Ballygrant and Keills would certainly have had more than us! There were a few flashes of lightening yesterday evening along with the following rumbles of thunder and this has happened again the odd time through the day today. I was even wakened at 2.30am with a really heavy hail shower with the hailstones clattering off the bedroom window!! Long and the short of it was that I certainly did not venture far today, so the big stove was lit and the house is nice and cosy inside... the cats are loving it as we are too!!! Today some of the others had to work... Mary had been out in the trying conditions attempting to do the International Goose Count on the Gruinart/ Ardnave route. To start her day off, an immature Glaucous Gull was seen at Blackrock, with around 20 Scaup offshore there as well. Along at Blackpark, a ringtail Hen Harrier with a second one noted along the flats at Gruinart and a male Hen Harrier close to Grainel. Also there, was a flock of 40 Fieldfare. At Killinallan, another male HH was seen. Over at the lobster ponds at Ardnave, around 50 Sanderling were in 2 tight groups sheltering behind 2 small lumps of seaweed during a particularly heavy hail shower...Nearby, out on some of the wet, boggy ground 5 Pied Wagtails and around 12 Meadow Pipits were feeding. Back close Ardnave Loch, a Merlin was in hot pursuit of a LBJ, finally on the salt marsh Mary had seen an Otter. Bob had been out on the Rhinns route and felt that there were more Skylarks and Meadow Pipits around. By all accounts a day for most birds hunkering down and trying to find shelter , so it will be interesting to see the count figures tally at when they come out!