Now for a holiday in Scotland visiting my mum and brothers, the first since my mum had a fall and overdue. With such visits I get the opportunity to do a bit of birdwatching along the Ayrshire coast, pre-breakfast strolls or sea watches. The weather was forecast to be unsettled for the week, but we arrived in sunshine. The week followed the forecast, but we were very fortunate in when the showers passed through and weren't overly hindered.
The first morning I woke and decided that I'd have a trip down to Stevenston Point and do a bit of sea watching - if nothing else I could jump down onto the beach and see the gulls and sanderlings. I arrived and it was still dry although there was then a short shower when I had to jump back into the car. That passed I could concentrate on the gannets and sandwich terns feeding along the shore. It was only about half an hour before Dougie Edmond arrived (@dougie252) and joined me in the watch.
While Dougie was focussed on capturing the diving gannets and terns, I spotted a juvenile guillemot following a parent - shortly after Dougie was on it too - nice to see them fledged and on the water. Other guillemots, including black could be seen scattered around and groups of up to a couple of dozen Manx shearwaters passed regularly.
The rocks in front of the Point were being uncovered by the receding tide and soon common sandpipers and sanderling appeared. Turnstones, dunlin and ringed plover darted around, and a couple of common terns joined the fishing parties. Try as I might, I couldn't find any red-throated divers amongst the large number of shags. I chatted a little with Dougie, but time was getting on and I had to get back to have breakfast with my wife. I'd try again the following morning.
After breakfast my wife announced that she was going to go out for a brisk walk and so I took the opportunity to drop down onto the beach to see if I could connect with any dippers on the burn. Initially none were to be found but within 10 minutes I saw a juvenile feeding on the far-left corner - all too soon it flew back upstream and out of view.
The next morning I decided to return to Stevenston Point and found the weather was much nicer but today I'd be on my own. There were more black guillemots out on the water, but fewer common guillemots. In the distance boats cruised by looking rather appealing in the early hours. Manx shearwaters flew past in groups, closer than on the previous day; I scanned through them with my scope for any other shearwater species, but with no success. Oystercatchers flew through regularly but soon a couple of birds caught my eye - two red knot - good to see as I haven't connected with any here for a couple of years.
I was then able to pick out a couple of very distant red-throated divers on the southern side of the Point. I watched as they fished, gradually getting closer and closer, but never close. I waited and watched as more boats passed offshore but eventually ran out of time, heading back to the hotel for breakfast.
Thursday started wet and so I didn't go out birding at all. It was then Friday, and I decided once more to visit Stevenston Point, hopeful that I'd be able to pick up something new. Gannets and sandwich terns fished and sanderling flocks flashed by, occasionally landing on the end of the rocks. Further out, Manx shearwater sped across the waves at regular intervals, some getting a little closer. Still no other shearwater species apparent.
Through the scope I found a couple of red-throated divers along the beach to the north and decided to up-sticks and make my way along the dunes to see them at closer quarters. I flushed a handful of meadow pipits from beside the path, the first I'd seen here on this visit. I decided to drop down onto the beach and hoped to be getting close but found the birds were still distant offshore. I spent some time watching, waiting, and enjoying the views but they just refused to play ball - there were now four on show.
Again time beat me, and I had to pack up and make for the hotel and breakfast. It would be my last opportunity to get out birding, but I enjoyed my three visits and had some good views of some nice birds although nothing to add to my year list.
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