I do not do much bird watching in my home country anymore, i reckon it has lost its appeal after going on a few foreign trips were i think the birding is better, cost wise it certainly is better and also seems more of an adventure to visit foreign lands. But i thought i would give it a go and i hired a car from Europacar for the weekend.
My first spot was not so far from where i am living at the moment. To Walney Island Nature Reserve as i approached the reserve i parked up and saw my target species Brent Goose feeding in the grasses and later a few flocks flying by. I had a walk around the reserve after this and reckon it is a good place to visit.
Scoping the Brent Goose
Up early and a 3 hour drive to WWT Caverlock in Scotland, as i am not a full time driver i found the night time driving quite difficult and was glad when the dawn came, by then i have reached Caverlock and note the sign on the gate saying it will open at 10am some 3.5 hours later. I see one Barnacle Goose in a field just next to the entrance to Caverlock, and many geese flying around, i take a rough track just passed the reserve entrance and park up then walk to a field with about 300 Barnacle Geese in it all feeding without any concerns for the weather which is hammering down with rain not downwards but at an angle with the cold wind. 5 Whooper Swans fly over a majestic sight, i managed to watch the Geese for about 10 mins then retreated to the car soaked. A little further from the reserve i pulled over as 6 Barnacle's were just landing in a field and joined a flock of over 400 which i could observe from the comfort of the car fantastic. At the T junction to the reserve there is a small pond and 6 Whooper Swans were there feeding which i watched for a while for me they are the most majestic of the UK Swans.
Onwards further North for the 3rd Goose of the trip the Bean Goose at Slamannan but it was not to be i spent most of the day in the area but failed to locate the Geese, but i did have superb views of a large flock of Fieldfares and Redwings
The bleak Slamannan Plateau
Onwards over the new Forth Road Bridge and into the Kingdom of Fife and a night's stay at Kirckaldy. I found a Bed & Breakfast easily enough and got directions for the local Wetherspoons which was only a short walk away, as i got to Spoons i noted another bar on the opposite side of the road and went in there instead which was a good move. Spoons are usually boring and this other pub was full of local's and i really enjoyed my evening in this pub.
After a good nights sleep i was up and ready for the traditional Scottish breakfast, wow i could hardly eat it all eggs, bacon, haggis, black pudding, square sausage, beans and toast. I said my farewells to the bed and breakfast owners and drove off to Ruddons Point about an hour away.
The journey was very quite as it is a Sunday morning but the weather was poor thick fog covered the Forth. As i arrived at Ruddons Point the weather changed and the fog lifted a bit, i walked out to the point expecting to be greeted by masses of sea ducks, instead i was greeted by a RLI Lifeboat patrolling the bay, shortly followed by a RLI Helicopter flying over the bay, with hardly a duck to be seen. Unbeknown to me whilst i was enjoying myself in the pub on Saturday night the RLI Helicopter had been flying around the bay searching for a man who had gone missing earlier in the day, sadly it did not turn out well for him as i saw him being covered up on the beach and taken away in the helicopter to an awaiting ambulance. I looked the story up when i returned home a sad end to a mans life who had got his mind in a bad place.
Back at Ruddons Point i did manage a few new birds. Sanderling's charging about on the sand by the waters edge a really nice bird, a flock of Knots, a lone Bar Tailed Godwit and a few Rocks Pipits out on the point. I set off late afternoon as by now i was frozen its a bleak exposed spot the fog had lifted and the very cold wind was biting
