Wednesday 31st December

A count of the birds at the Ardeer Quarry LNR site produced:

Woodhead Plantation:
Greenfinch - 3
Carrion Crow - 2
Blue Tit - 9
Coal Tit - 2
Great Tit - 1
Magpie - 4
Blackbird - 9
Redwing - 2
Robin - 4
Chaffinch - 1
Starling - 1

Hawthorn/Alder/Conifer thicket:
Blue Tit - 3
Blackbird - 9
Magpie - 1
Song Thrush - 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker - 1
Bullfinch - 2

B752 embankment:
Blue Tit - 2
Robin - 2
Blackbird - 2

Wood by Gavin's Wee Pond:
Robin - 3
Wren - 1
Magpie - 2
Blackbird - 7
Blue Tit - 3
Coal Tit - 1
Great Tit - 1
Treecreeper - 3

In the large field (most birds in scrub around periphery of field):
Long-tailed Tit - 7
Blue Tit - 2
Robin - 1
Grey Heron - 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker - 2
Dunnock - 1

In the cycle path's Hawthorn hedge:
Blue Tit - 2
Song Thrush - 1
Robin - 1
Chaffinch - 3

Some recent fungi:

Stump Puffball (Ardeer Quarry today):

Blushing Bracket (Ardeer Quarry today):
Velvet Shank (Garnock East a couple of days ago):

Tuesday 30th December

In very frosty conditions, the upper Garnock estuary held 21 Whoopers, 4 pairs of Gadwall, 4 Shovelers, 745 Teal, 254 Wigeon, 239 Mallard, and 10 Goldeneye.

Monday 29th December

Scrambling through the extensive scrub at Garnock East, I flushed 3 Woodcock. A Water Rail was where the scrub meets the vast wetland. 7 Greenshanks were roosting together on the upper Garnock estuary. A ringtal Hen Harrier was at Bogside Racecourse before flying over to the Ardeer Peninsula.

Sunday 28th December

4 Whoopers (inc 2 juvs) flew over Broom Farm heading for Kerelaw. 7 Greylags flew over the upper Garnock Estuary before circling round and heading off SE. 640 Teal, 187 Mallard, 171 Wigeon, and 3 pairs of Gadwall were on the upper estuary. A couple of Short-eared Owls were fightings above the field across the River Irvine and one was hunting over Bogside Racecourse.

Saturday 27th December

6 Waxwings were in my garden in Stevenston.

Friday 26th December

7 Twite were at Broom Farm in Stevenston; a ringtail Hen Harrier flew from Bogside to Garnock East; 3 Short-eared Owls were hunting over Bogside Racecourse; 17 Great Crested Grebes were in Irvine Bay.

Wednesday 24th November

A 1st winter Iceland Gull was on Stevenston Beach, as were c.280 Dunlin. On the sea between Saltcoats and Irvine were 35 Common Scoter, 12 Goldeneye, 13 Red-throated Divers, and 10 or 11 Great Crested Grebes.

At least one Waxwing flew over Ardeer Quarry, but trees blocked my view and stopped me from getting a count.

Tuesday 23rd December

3 Tree Sparrows, 5 Yellowhammers, 8 Reed Buntings, and c.40 Chaffinches were in hedgerows beside the stubble field at Auchenkist Farm above Stevenston. 8 Whoopers were in a stubble field beside Kerelaw. A Woodcock flushed from Dubbs quarry.

(Photo: Whoopers)

Monday 22nd December

c.9 Crossbills flew from Irvine railway station in the direction of Bogside; a female Crossbill was on top of a pine tree beside Eglinton Loch; 40 Canada Geese flew over and almost landed on the loch, but changed their mind and headed towards the Belvedere Pond - however, checking the pond 40 minutes later revealed no geese...or ducks (a man in a bright yellow coat walking his dog round the pond about an hour earlier might partially explain this).

(Photo: Crossbill)

Sunday 21st December

A rintail Hen Harrier struggled against the wind to fly through Garnock East to Bogside. A drake Gadwall was on the upper estuary.

Saturday 20th December

A WeBS count at the Garnock/Irvine estuary produced:

Little Grebe - 2
Cormorant - 2
Grey Heron - 2
Mute Swan - 38
Teal - 208
Mallard - 120
Wigeon - 230
Goldeneye - 12
Eider - 3
Red Breasted Merganser - 10
Lapwing - 230
Curlew - 287
Oystercatcher - 296
Dunlin - 25
Redshank - 125
Greenshank - 9
Turnstone - 22
Common Snipe - 1

A Short-eared Owl was hunting over the field across the River Irvine from Bogside Racecourse. A Kingfisher was flying up the River Irvine. A Crossbill was calling at Bogside Golf Course. 10 Twite were feeding at Broom Farm in Stevenston.


A late morning survey of the birds at the Ardeer Quarry LNR site produced:

In the Woodhead Plantation:
Literally no birds in the eastern half of the plantation: birdlife was confined to the scrubby western half (however, I suspect the presence of most of these birds is attributable to the birdfood provided in the neighbouring gardens).
Blue Tit - 3
Great Tit - 2
Coal Tit - 1
Wren - 3
Collard Dove - 1
Blackbird - 7
Great Spotted Woodpecker - 1
Robin - 1
Chaffinch - 1
Starling - 1
Roe Deer - 1

Along the B752's embankment scrub:
Godfinch - 1
Blue Tit - 2
Blackbird - 1

In the large open field:
Wren - 1
Common Snipe - 1
Song Thrush - 2
Sparrowhawk - 1
Kestrel - 1
Magpie - 1

In the plantation beside Gavin's Wee Pond:
Wren - 1
Great Tit - 1
Blue Tit - 2
Long-tailed Tit - 5
Blackbird - 1
Roe Deer - 2

On Gavin's Wee Pond:
Mallard - 5
Moorhen - 1
Grey Wagtail - 1 (at new drainage ditch)

In the Hawthorn/Alder/Conifer thicket:
Magpie - 1
Wren - 1

Along the cycle path's Hawthorn hedge:
Goldcrest - 1
Blue Tit - 3
Blackbird - 3
Robin - 1

Thursday 18th December

c.900 Woodpigeons were in the fields at Auchenkist Farm above Stevenston (took a photo of about 70-80% of the flock in flight and counted just under 700 birds).

Tuesday 16th December

A juvenile Iceland Gull flew along the Stevenston-Saltcoats promenade heading towards Saltcoats Harbour.

Monday 15th December

A WeBS count at Stevenston Beach during windy conditions produced:
101 Ringed Plover
284 Dunlin
269 Oystercatchers
3 Redshanks
2 Turnstones
2 Cormorants
16 Eider

Sunday 14th December

7 Whoopers and 18 Linnets were on a stubble field at Kerelaw. 9 Mallards were in the pool there. 7 Yellowhammers were in a hedgerow near the stubble field at Auchenkist Farm, as was a single Tree Sparrow - the first one I've ever seen in the area.

Saturday 13th December

A Water Rail was at the Penny Burn as it flows past Ardeer Fen. There was sporadic Short-eared Owl activity at Bogside Racecourse and in the field across the River Irvine. 2 was the most up at any one time.

Thursday 11th December

A Woodcock flushed from scrub beside Ardeer Fen; 6 Whoopers (inc 2 juvs) were on the upper Garnock Estuary; 7 Short-eared Owls were in the air simultaneously at Bogside Racecourse.

(Photo: Short-eared Owl)

Wednesday 10th December

6 Whoopers were at Ardeer Mains; a Woodcock flushed from the scrub at Ardeer Fen; 522 Teal, 202 Mallard, and 3 pairs of Gadwall were on the upper Garnock estuary; 105 Dunlin were on the mudflats at Bogside; 2 Short-eared Owls were at Bogside Racecourse.

(Photo: Dunlin)

Sunday 6th December

2 Short-eared Owls were fighting above Bogside Racecourse; 12 Whooper Swans flew low over the upper estuary; 684 Teal, 110 Mallard, 182 Wigeon, and 5 Gadwall were on the upper estuary - a fox was nearby; 2 Water Rails were feeding in ditches at Garnock East; a Kingfisher was flying up the Garnock at Garnock Floods.

(Photo: Water Rail)

Wednesday 3rd December

18 Whoopers were at Ardeer Mains and both Common Snipe and Jack Snipe was flushed from the Ardeer Rec Pond's contributory ditch. A fox was hunting along the grassy verges of the Railtrack access road. A Water Rail was feeding in the Ardeer Rec Pond's contributory ditch at sunset.

A male Siskin in my garden beside Ardeer Quarry yesterday was the first I've had there this winter.

Monday 1st December

25 Whoopers were at Ardeer Mains. 3-4 Teal were in the Master Gott at the bottom of the field. A Kingfisher and Water Rail were at Ardeer Quarry LNR's Master Gott. A pair of Blackcaps were in my garden beside Ardeer Quarry.