Loch Ryan - 9.x.2023

 My late afternoon visit began about an hour past low tide and the expanse of exposed mud in the south-east corner of the loch was busy with feeding birds. But they would have to wait, for even as I pulled into the parking area by the Ryan Bay Holiday Park my eager eyes had distinguished a small group of Whooper Swans in amongst the Mutes. There were just four of them, a pair with one youngster and another adult. Perhaps newly arrived from Iceland, they seemed keen to rest with head tucked under a wing rather than dipping for weed as their plentiful resident cousins were doing. A little later, the single adult perked up a bit, gave a couple of whooping calls and began to feed.

It was an excellent start to what proved to be a very productive hour before I had to get to the supermarket. Surrounding hills were lost to view in the foggy conditions but visibility across the loch was surprisingly good. In fact, the flat light seemed somehow to enhance the performance of my decidedly average scope. Both quantity and variety of birds offshore had certainly increased since my last visit. Scaup numbered over a hundred in two main flocks. Mergansers were scattered about everywhere, as were small groups of Eider, the males of the latter now in fresh bright white plumage. I picked up a male Goldeneye in flight and then spotted a female actively diving. Also disappearing underwater with frustrating frequency were a pair of Red-throated Divers. I finally clinched their identity when they interacted together for a few moments, revealing the extensive white necks of winter livery and up-tilted bills. My first Slavonian Grebes of the season put in an appearance: 2 or 3 slipping neatly beneath the waves with a seemingly effortless diving action, so much smaller than their nearby Great Crested relatives. A couple of Razorbills were also in the same area, the deep blunt appendages for which they are named clearly visible.

With rising waters beginning to concentrate waders toward shore, I turned my attention to them. Oystercatchers and Curlews were by far the most abundant as usual, with counts well into 3 figures. Redshank were also quite numerous. Half a dozen Dunlin, a pair of Bar-tailed Godwits and a single Greenshank completed the tally on the mud. A Snipe shot over my head with its rasping call and disappeared over the bay; I think it may have risen from the field behind me. Speaking of calls, the entire visit was accompanied by the glissando whistles of Wigeon, several hundred of which were feeding on the mud or dabbling in the shallows. Some Mallard and fifteen or so Teal were among them.

Few gulls were about in this corner of the loch and I noted just Herring, Black-headed and Common. The usual gathering was present further along at the Bishop Burn but I didn’t call in there this time. A final notable sighting was of 7 Swallows that flew determinedly south low over the sea. My local breeding population abandoned the skies above my home about a week ago and I wonder if I will see any more of them before they return from Africa next spring.