Loch Ryan 12.iii.24

 A calm day at last gave reasonable viewing conditions here. Winds with an easterly component had persisted for more than a week, producing choppy water across the loch and a bitter chill. Today the tide was high mid-afternoon, so my focus was on waterfowl and seabirds rather than waders.

Goldeneye were notable off Balyett/Innermessan, in the south-east corner, with a minimum estimate of 30. Other duck included the usual suspects of Wigeon, Scaup, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Scoter and Eider. Numbers of the former two species have dwindled recently from several hundred earlier in the year. A loose group of seven Red-throated Divers  were quite distant, but their pale necks stood out in the overcast light. Amongst them, a single Great Northern revealed itself by the typical horizontal cast of its heavy bill, compared to the more slender appendage of its congener held at an upward tilt. A few Slavonian Grebe were about, still in winter plumage, unlike the Great Crested whose chestnut lappets are becoming prominent now that courtship season approaches.

Still no sign of Gannets. They have been observed at sea nearby, between the Rhins and their colony on Ailsa Craig, but I have not seen any penetrate to the southern end of the loch yet this year.

Over at Broadstone in the south-west, Black Guillemots were much in evidence, several now in their smart black breeding livery with prominent white wing-patches. They chased about in small groups, presumably in preparation for pairing off. A Slav grebe gave superb views as it floated quite close to shore, red eyes and the pale tip of its stubby bill clearly visible. Even closer was a Razorbill, with cheeks and throat still non-breeding white. As I watched, it half opened its wings and slipped effortlessly beneath the water, right among the seaweed-covered rocks that broke the surface.

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