December 2021

Bird Sightings

The mild weather of November continued into December with no negative temperatures. December was wetter with about fifty percent more rain than November.

Winter visitors in December included: five Purple Sandpiper on Silver Sands on 5^th and a first winter Glaucous Gull by Fisherman’s Walk on 13^th. The last Arran record of this gull was in February 2020. While the numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing, regular winter visitors, were down on recent years, the number of Brambling, an irruptive winter visitor, were the largest ever recorded on Arran with forty at Cnoc na Dail on 12^th and fifty at the same location on 18^th.

Wintering wildfowl were to the fore including: five hundred and fifty Greylag Geese in the Shiskine Valley on 5^th, fifty Pink-footed Geese also in the Shiskine Valley on 5^th, four Wigeon in Kildonan on 6^th, twenty-nine Canada Geese in Clachaig on 24^th, twenty-three Teal on Cleats Shore on 28^th and eight Whooper Swan flying and calling over Machrie on 9^th .

Groups of wintering birds included: twenty Turnstone and twenty-one Black-headed Gull on Silver Sands on 4^th, forty-four Ringed Plover in Blackwaterfoot on 8^th, seventy Curlew and eighteen Snipe in Port na Feannaiche also on 8^th, one hundred and forty Common Gull on Cleats Shore on 13^th, two hundred Jackdaw in Machrie on 19^th, twenty Lapwing on Cleats Shore on 28^th, twenty-three Woodcock in East Bennan also on 28^th, two hundred Starling in Cloined on 31^st and thirty Greenfinch at Drumadoon Point also on 31^st was the largest group for a number of years.

In December the seventeen records of Little Egret from twelve locations featured in a recent “Banner” Bird Note. Other interesting records this month included: two returning Shelduck in Kildonan on 5^th, a Jack Snipe at Port na Feannaiche on 8^th, five Yellowhammer in Sliddery on 10^th, ten Rook in Clachaig also on 10^th, a Dipper in Machrie on 19^th and a Kingfisher in the Rosa Burn, Brodick on 21^st. In addition, all three divers were around the coast including six Great Northern Diver at Port na Feannaiche on 8^th, two Red-throated Diver off King’s Cave on 26^th and two Black-throated Diver in Whiting Bay on 30^th .

Although still in the depth of winter there were some signs of approaching spring with Great Spotted Woodpecker reported drumming in Brodick Country Park on 27^th, Red-breasted Mergansers displaying in Lamlash Bay on 28^th and a Song Thrush singing in Pirnmill on 29^th .

Gardens provide a safe refuge for some birds in winter. Among the more unusual records received were: three Brambling in Sliddery on 19^th, a Treecreeper in Sannox on 23^rd, two Great Spotted Woodpecker in Lagg on 26^th and sixteen Long-tailed Tit in Corrie on 26^th .