As we are lucky enough to have been able to return to Scottish Tier 3 today (still quite restricted as regards meeting with other people but no longer in a stay at home lockdown) we celebrated by heading out early morning to spend a good few hours birding, though the squally weather left a lot to be desired at times!
Headed to Bornish first and there were 50 Whopper Swans in total between Loch Bornish and the flooded machair. At Rubha Ardvule there were good numbers of Wigeon and Cormorants sheltering on the loch and on the beach a few Sanderling and 30+ Oystercatchers. A few Gannets passing by the headland but otherwise pretty quiet out to sea.
13 Barnacle Geese near Ormiclate, a couple of Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a further 92 Whooper Swans on the flooded machair there.
At the south-west corner of Loch Bee there were 200 Whooper Swans and a little further north 42 Barnacle Geese and 18 Greenland White-fronts.
No surprise that there were no Coots visible at Coot Loch as there was a White-tailed Eagle sitting on a small islet surveying the loch and occasionally doing a flyover scattering all the wildfowl and waders. Passing the loch again on our return journey from Balivanich there were 8 Black-tailed Godwits. Little Egret on Loch Fada, also a pair of Pintail there too.
Out on South Ford the tide was rising bringing c420 Bar-tailed Godwits, 40 Grey Plover and 40 Dunlin a little closer.
Oh, and 54 spp for the day, not too shabby I suppose...
