Wednesday 4th January

An appropriately wet day with moderate southerly winds to receive some rainfall information from James How: “Just added up the 2022 rainfall from the gauge in my garden: 1,395mm which is wetter than 2021, but is not exceptional - (5 yr. average. is 1,401mm). The spring March – May was however wetter than average.”

 

Phil Edwards was out in the rain for much of the day and sends in his account: “We took advantage of the narrow window of diminishing winds ahead of increasing rain to take a relaxed look for the American Wigeon and Red-breasted Goose – and found neither.  We started with an imm WTE along the track at Smaull and followed it a couple of minutes later with a Golden Eagle.  Nice.  A brief search of the south side of Loch Gorm produced c. 180 Teal, c. 40 Mallard, a pair of Gadwall, a male Tufted Duck and a Buzzard, but not a single Wigeon, Eurasian or otherwise.  Driving towards Gruinart, we had the nice surprise of a male Bullfinch at the old (Kilchoman?) schoolhouse along the B8017 and five Mistle Thrushes with Fieldfares and Redwings shortly after.  We made distant checks of a number of Barnacle Geese flocks but couldn’t see the Red-breasted so decided to try the hides on the RSPB reserve for a while (North first, then South).  As we left the car park, a pair of Coal Tits was courtship feeding and a couple of Great Tits were singing – clearly spring is not that far away.  From the hides we had 656 Lapwing, 68 Pintail, 38 Shoveler, nine Whooper Swans, a pair of Gadwall, plus the usual array of waterfowl and a Little Egret.  Waders were visible distantly on the mud of the Loch including four Grey Plovers and some Bar-tailed Godwits, Dunlin, Redshank, Curlew, etc.  As we walked the Woodland Trail between the hides we had a Goldcrest and two Treecreepers, and after we left South Hide and looked back over the reserve from the viewing platform a ringtail Hen Harrier landed with prey … immediately adjacent to the hide!  On the corner of the Gruinart/Killinallan road, three pale-bellied Brents were again present – something of a fixture, and today posing for photos in the rain (attached).

Then off to the Woollen Mill for my wife to view material – three Siskins were again present on the feeders with two Coal Tits.  We came back still searching the Barnacle flocks for the Red-breasted but with no joy, although we did find the Cackling Goose in with a large flock of Barnacles on the fields above West Carrabus at c.15.30 after which the rain increased and the skies darkened and we called it quits.

We note the Barnacle Geese are seriously jumpy these days.  30-40 years back, you could park close to them and they would (warily) continue to feed, much as the White-fronts do now; but the Barnacles seem to fly at distance pretty much as you stop (except on Gruinart Flats).  Is this a result of the culling?  Again, any local knowledge/views would be welcome.  If my assumption is correct, doesn’t this mean that the indirect effects of culling extend to negative effects on energy intake/expenditure and perhaps therefore to migration/breeding success?”

(I would agree with Phil's assumptions that the Barnies are more skittish these days due to culling and that that must have some (perhaps only minimal?) effect on their winter condition and thus breeding success).