Updates

Right, year list-wise I'm still a bit behind where I'd like to be; 96 species, topped up in the last few days by hen harrier and purple sandpiper amongst others. Hopefully I'll get the chance to to that up a little over the next month.

At the reserve a week or so ago I got the opportunity to follow up on a promise to get some hawk shots for a friend. Our "sneaky" (okay blatant), young sparrowhawk spent a few hours sat in the bus below the feeders, before leaping up to catch an unfortunate chaffinch right when I didn't have my camera... Balls. At least I managed to get a couple of nice shots of him for James before he scarpered.

"Perfectly Camouflaged"

Yesterday I was being shown all the bits of the Clyde coast I'd missed by Rik; over the course of 6 hours racked up 70 species, including:

• Whooper swans
• Scaup
• Purple sandpiper
• Little grebe
• Sanderling
• Common Scoter
• and at the last gasp a Merlin, which shot across the road infront of us. 

Whooper 1

Whooper 2

A golf course of Scaup

The island hasn't been too bad either, black guillemots, hen harrier, loads of mergs and another flock of scoter about. Still a bit chilly though, roll on the better weather!

Fed up with snow!

I've been having a couple of conversations with my cousin, Rachel, over the past month, concerning the joys of snow. I remember when I used to love it. It was Chrsitmas-y, fun to play out in (until you got numb and damp and had to find somewhere to warm up), and there was a chance of cancelled classes.

What do you do when the weather is grey and cold?

Now? Now I see slippy pavements, traffic chaos, salt stains on ruining my boots, and a future consisting of brown slush. So after a week of persistent white stuff I've been needing a break, a touch of summer. Lacking the funds and free time for a getaway, I opted for an hour in Glasgow botanic gardens; I feel much better now!

I have always loved ferns since I studied them as an undergraduate, I think they are possibly one of the most under-rated plants. Plus they are usually kept wonderfully humid, so I was a great place to kill some time before my afternoon meeting in snowy East Kilbride.

The sori (groups of spores) are especially visible against the light of the glass house roof.

The dense foliage and often awkward light gave me a great opportunity to brush up on quickly adjusting my settings too (I'm often far too happy to rely on auto).

I'm not a huge orchid fan (too showy) but a shot of acid yellow in the white and grey day was nice

Can anyone tell me what this is?

A day with a dog.

For the last 24 fours I've been lucky enough to be looking after a four legged friend. It's been a great excuse to get out walking, and this morning I put dog, whistle, bins and scope in the car and headed round to Fintry Bay for a walk and a gander.

Well, he must be my lucky dog! 3 patch ticks and 6 birds for the year list (bringing me up to just75...)! We started off with the usual eider, shags, redshank etc, but soon picked up 28 common scoter and a juv GN diver. He even obliged by flushing a pair of snipe from the undergrowth. Next up a hooded crow was lurking near Little Skate Bay, and just as the sun came out we were treated to a quarter of merganser.

Common Scoter made a welcome patch tick, and I got my best ever views before deciding it was time to go home for lunch

There were plenty of geese overhead, moving toward Portachur, and as we rounded the corner for home I saw that they'd picked up a solitary confused looking pink foot. 

Incoming Greylags

Possibly the same bird spotted by Phil in the AM

Who doesn't love a saw-bill?

I've left the poor dog guarding the house (and trying to work out what to do with the zebra finches), but, I'm already planning on taking him on an owl hunt this evening, could add tawny's to the year total by tomorrow...

After a wrestle with the hairdryer, he's allowed back on the owl chair

Save Our Marine Station - Update

I said I'd keep you up to date with the goings on at the marine station; here's the latest. A long time friend of the marine station, Mark Blaxter (University of Edinburgh), has set up a petition to the Scottish parliament. This document calls them "to work with others in education, industry and statutory bodies to ensure the Millport Marine Station remains open".

So help us get the ball rolling - SIGN THIS PETITION! 

Sign up today and make us this happy!

Battle of the Blogs - Naturalist Blonde vs Naturebites

What do you do when a school friend (and birder) moves to Wales, sets up blog (see here) and a kick-ass nature tours company? Personally, I get competitive. So its a birding blog off, battle of the year lists. Nat vs Kat. Winner gets... to brag, I suppose. I'll sort out a running list somewhere...

Day 1 - Clumber Park with Kathy

I went for hawfinch, what I got was people... lots of people.

For those who haven't been, its a nice mix of deciduous and coniferous woodland and a large lake with an area wetlands. The amount of people and level of gossiping between myself and Kathy resulted in only 33 species, but included nice views of around 12 nuthatch, a very friendly jay and some cracking mandarin ducks.

The female was super aggressive, taking on absolutely everything that moved.

Day 2 - Back Garden

A blackcap joined the usual mix of garden birds in the garden, the first one I've seen there. 

End of day total, 35

Day 3 - Farr Ings

A good start with a flock of 30 waxwings on the road to the reserve and a marsh harrier quartering over the marsh as we pulled in. A reed bunting and willow tit haunted the feeders along with the finches and tits. LLT's, gold crest and a few more willow tits flitted around the entrance to the Pursuit hide and the lakes provided a nice mix of ducks and geese.

I'd have loved to get a nice picture of the willow tits, but the scenery was having none of it.

Current total - 53

Camera shy

Annoyingly so.

Save our Marine Station!

This week started in a sorry way here on Cumbrae, with the announcement of a massive cut in HEFCE funding. This huge drop in income has derailed the proposed joint management venture between the universities of London and St Andrews, and put us in distinct danger of closure in the next 12 months. As well as directly affecting staff, the closure of the marine station will have a massive impact on the fragile island economy. It is also unclear as to what will happen to the hyperbaric chamber located here, one of only four in Scotland; its loss would represent a worrying and potentially fatal reduction in the national network.

Announcing the removal of funding will also have negatively impacted the chances of bringing in grant funding that may otherwise have supported us. A huge blow after the visit of Danny Alexander last week, to announce £100'000 in coastal communities funding.

The marine station has faced closure before, and fought back; this year we have our biggest ever number of students booked in, and for us its going to be one hell of a year. I know for definite that those students looking forward to their field trips this year will see things they've never seen before, they'll be helped by knowledgeable and friendly staff, and they will leave better biologists because of it; I can tell because I've spent 18 months experiencing it for myself. It's a travesty if it should end here. Students will either have to go to more distant courses at greater expense, or miss out altogether.

I'll keep you all in the loop.

You can show your support and keep up to date with the goings on by joining the facebook group here (I'm not sure who the masked avenger was that set it up, but cheers!).

If you would like to help further, please message me!

In the mean time, or if you don't know what we do, check out some of the snaps I've taken in the last 18 months of living here.

Students enjoying one of the rare sunny days aboard the research vessel Aora

American students from Colgate University carry out a shore survey (RV Actinia in background)

A Glasgow student watches as a net is prepared for a sample tow

Your's truly, showing off the local wildlife

Lesser spotted dogfish in the aquarium

The Holiday - Part 2 (delayed by two weeks due to blog f-up)

A few hours at Attenborough with Dad, finally posted!

It was damp out. After complaining about the weather all month, Britain seemed set to show me what it can really do when it puts its mind to it. But, thankfully on the 23rd it was sunny in Notts. So Dad and I bundled into the car and headed for Attenborough nature reserve. Which was very, very wet. So much so that half of the trails were un-passable, so we went for the "new" hide - which is on stilts.

Well it was, as they say, nice weather for ducks. As well as the usual tits and finches and a few rogue redwing, we racked up pochard, wigeon, tufted duck, goldeneye, gadwall, shoveller, mallard, red crested pochard, ruddy duck, goosander and GC grebe. The usual egyptian geese were loitering round the carpark, a GS woodpeaker was calling from a treetop, and at the hide we had a great flight view of a snipe that just couldn't settle on one spot.

All in all a nice few hours birding, shame the flood made us miss the waxwings.

RC Pochard

Distant Shoveller

Tufty

I swear its a ruddy duck!

Car park scavenger