SOLWAY: Weekend break 30 - 31 May 2009.

Quick jaunt out to Bowland on 30th May for some more survey work found me in the usual isolation of some of Lancashire's remote heather moors. Driving back alongside Marshaw Fell I watched this Curlew with its chick for sometime in the early morning sun before heading home to prepare for our weekend break in Scotland.

Gillfoot Bay and Southerness Point, Dumfries & Galloway 31 May 2009.

We arrived at Seafield Bay near Annan with the sun still beating down and after a coffee and a bit of time scanning over the bay (no, no skuas - I promise) we set off to do our Timed Tetrad Visit survey. A very pleasant walk produced Spotted Flycatcher (pair), Bullfinch (pair) and a couple of Magpies (still rare here). Plenty of Painted Lady butterflies using the old viaduct as their northbound route too.
On then to Newbie for the high tide wader roost where we found no less than 254 Sanderling huddled on the shore with 20 Dunlin. Sanderling are mainly a passage migrant on this part of the Solway and this is by far the most Sanderling I've seen in D&G. Very smart they were too, some in full summer plumage. Another Magpie was found near Barnkirk Point.
An evening drive in suitable habitat produced a variety of nocturnal species plus at least 3 singing male Grasshopper Warblers.

Looking west along the Colvend Coast from Southerness Point, 31 May 2009.

Next morning we strolled around Southerness Point in the early morning. We didn't see much apart from this group of 164 Oystercatchers, some in non-breeding plumage. Single Whimbrel, 3 Ringed Plovers, 2 Sandwich Terns and 6 Sedge Warblers were the only other species noted. Just the one Painted Lady here so maybe they cross the Solway at the narrow neck to the east near Annan?
We spent the rest of the day touring a few inland sites recording a few Redstarts (New Abbey and Mabie Forest), Red Kites (Milton and Laurieston), Peregrines and Wood Warbler (Raiders Road in the Forest of Galloway).

Male Reed Bunting, Caerlaverock WWT 31 May 2009.

Last port of call for the weekend was Caerlaverock which is overdue a good bird this spring. Wasn't to be though, although we enjoyed walking the meadow normally closed when the Barnacles are feeding there in the winter. Oystercatchers are attempting to nest on a small platform (Mrs B captured one just about to land in the pic above) and there were a few Common Blue Damselflies around.