Happy New Year! Didn't quite start that way for my wife as she had a terrible migraine and stayed in bed until mid-afternoon on New Year’s Day. It did give me the opportunity to pop up to Draycote Water for an hour to see if I could start off my year list with ticks for great northern diver and long-tailed duck. The car park was rammed when I arrived but fortunately, I got a space immediately as someone left. Onto the path, I started in an anti-clockwise rotation, scanning constantly and noting the large number of little grebes - they would eventually total 43 from the Visitor's Centre to Toft Bay. There were also numbers of goldeneye (20) and goosanders (14). I reached the likely spot and scanned between the two buoys favoured by the duck - nowt - I ventured on and scanned across Toft Bay but still nothing. I waited and kept scanning as it is so easy to miss given the frequency and length of dives. Still nothing. I made my way back to the corner and met a couple of other birders doing the same as me and they confirmed they couldn't find it either. We scanned for another 10 minutes or so but no joy for either the diver of the duck. I walked back with one of the birders and we stopped regularly to scan across the water and to the opposite banks - we both had scopes. Still no joy - a single meadow pipit stopped on the rocks to be added to my list. Well, that was disappointing. I made for the car and returned home to sort out a cuppa should it be needed.
The following day we made our way north to visit my mum and brothers stopping for breakfast at RSPB Leighton Moss, just 10 minutes off the M6. We arrived at 9.30am and were soon through the Visitor’s Centre and onto the reserve - we were somewhat surprised that the Centre was open as our previous stop here must have been at the same time of day, in the early summer, and we'd had to enter through the gate - who knows.
The car park was rammed and there were limited spaces remaining, even at this time. It was -1°C; outside and the temperature had dropped significantly since we'd left home - we got a call from my mum to say that road conditions there were being reported as icy too and to be careful. There were signs on the boardwalks and steps to advise that the surfaces were slippy and to take care - they weren't joking. A water pipit had been reported in previous days from the Skytower and so we stopped there to survey the water and edges. The area looked very different from our last visit as the reeds had been cut and there was very much better visibility, although we couldn't find the pipit. In the alders behind there were c.50 siskins feeding, flitting quickly around the canopy and the top platform of the Skytower gave a great vantage point to view them from.
We were here to see if we could connect with bearded tits that had been visiting the grit trays and so quickly moved on to the Causeway area to see if we could find any. On the way a tit flock passed by containing a couple or more marsh tits but didn't perch long enough for me to get a photo. We arrived at the trays to find a few people in place and numbers passing by - apparently someone had seen a single female earlier but those in place had seen nothing of the bearded tits. Some reed buntings, a coal tit and some blue and great tits flitted around but after waiting for about 30 minutes we had to leave as we were expected for a late lunch at my mum's house. On the return journey we came across the marsh tits and this time they posed well for the camera. We stopped again at the Skytower but there was still no sign of the water pipit. A brief visit, we'd dipped on bearded tits but had some nice birds and views to add to our new Year List.
The following morning we arose reasonably early and had breakfast an hour earlier than usual - sunrise was scheduled for 8.49am and so we planned to visit Stevenston Point just after this, and before rain was forecast. We set off but on arrival found that it was very windy - with the dampness it made the 'real feel' temperature low. The tide was high and just about to peak making it impossible to walk along the southern side (Ardeer Beach) - there were plenty of oystercatchers feeding on the grass alongside the road. Initially there seemed to be little action until I spotted some ringed plover, a couple of dunlins and a redshank on the northern side (Stevenston Beach). I sneaked along and managed a few photos - soon after, I scanned the narrow stretch of beach there and made for the Stevenston side where small waders appeared to be scuttling.
As I climbed down onto the beach, I could see a small flock of sanderling and a couple more dunlin feeding in the incoming tide. Unfortunately, a dog walker was coming the other way and I only had a couple of minutes before the birds were all flushed and flew out over the sea - 12 sanderling could now be counted.
I spotted some movement in the seaweed ahead and saw the emergence of three turnstones. I watched as they worked in my direction but again a dog appeared ahead of its owner and these birds also departed.
A drizzle started to fall and so I made my way back towards the car, walking out to the point. The drizzle subsided and allowed a further short time looking out over the water. A common scoter flew by, and I spotted a diver further behind and needed a scope to even establish that - taking a photo and viewing through the scope I could see it was a red-throated diver. Other than cormorants and a shag there was little else to add. With time marching on we had to pack up and return to meet up with mum.
The forecast was correct the following day and rain still falling as we had breakfast - as we finished the rain miraculously stopped on cue, and as we made our way along Seamill Beach the sun started to appear over Arran, although the wind was still very evident. On the way a handful of redwings fed on a berry bush in a garden facing onto the main A78 road. There were various gulls on show, wigeon and oystercatchers but little chance of dipper given the depth and speed of the water in the burn. Four redshanks bobbed around on the rocks and three seals did the same close to shore.
Flybys were limited to cormorants and shag, plus gulls so we made for the rocks on the far side of the first small bay. It took a few minutes but eventually I located purple sandpipers huddled in a rocky crevice. As I watched up to 12 individuals could be identified. They hopped around but didn't seem to be actively feeding. We were now short of time as we'd been late getting out and retired to the car and off to visit family again. The sun broke through as we made our return.
My brother works in Glasgow and due to the train strike had organised to be dropped in Beith at the BP Petrol Station on his way home. Not 5 minutes past Beith from Seamill / West Kilbride is RSPB Lochwinnoch where there is a long-staying drake smew and so later that day, following confirmation of times, I shot to Lochwinnoch to see if I could find it. The signs were good as the Reception Staff in the Visitor's Centre had spotted the birds by a raft earlier in the day and so I donned my boots and made for the Aird Meadow Hide which was identified as the best place to be. On arrival there was a young lady birder already in position and after a quick but fruitless scan of the water I asked if she had seen the bird. Indeed she had, and pointed me to the far back right corner of the Aird Meadow Loch where the bird was currently 'down'. Apparently, the bird favours the far bank later in the day and came closer in the mornings. It only took a couple of minutes and then I could see the bird - fantastic, but at a range of well over 400m. I watched and scanned the other birds until the smew started to feed only about 400m from me - record shots were all I was going to get ... two pairs of walkers came into the hide and scanned about but it was only 20 minutes or so and I had to head back to make sure I wasn't late to pick up my brother - as I changed my boots I got a call to say he was already at the petrol station and 5 minutes later so was I.
The following morning was constant rain and so there was no breakfast birding and so it was our final day that we managed to get out onto Seamill Beach again. It was again windy and there was no sign of the sun breaking through but thankfully there was no rain. The dipper was still AWOL but we did manage to pick up four each of redshank and turnstones, and also a rock pipit from the elevated area overlooking the burn as it spills into the sea.
The sea was lively, and I couldn't spot anything of note on it so decided to have a look and see if the purple sandpipers were still in the same location - they were but on the flatter rocks and this time actively feeding - the tide was later than previously and so these rocks were more exposed. We watched as they comically hopped around in the surf, sometimes being completely consumed by the waves, and popping back up and out as the wave diminished. It was fun to watch but hard to capture the events in still photographs - perhaps I should have taken a video ... I was again standing on the rocks and when I turned around saw I was again being watched.
All too soon we left and made our way into the village for provisions and to my mum's to spend the remainder of the day with her, before we would drive back to Banbury. On the way though we were reminded how soft we were in the bracing conditions by two chaps walking back in to the beach through the surf - despite them wearing appropriate clothing they made me realise I was having it easy.
Year List: 73
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