THE SOLWAY FIRTH 31ST JANUARY - 3RD FEBRUARY 2008

THE SOLWAY FIRTH tour from 31st January – 3rd February 2008 almost didn’t go ahead due to an appalling weather forecast, but thankfully, our plucky group went for it and enjoyed some fantastic birding as well as shall we say some interesting weather… Sea fowl included 500 Greater Scaup, 200 Common Goldeneye, 50 Red-breasted Merganser, 200 Common Eider, 15 Great Crested Grebe, 15 Slavonian Grebe, 15 Common Scoter, five Red-throated Diver, two Great Northern Diver, 10 Black Guillemot, four Goosander, 50 European Shag and 500 Eurasian Wigeon. As ever geese featured highly with 75 Greenland White-fronted Geese the highlight, though a fine supporting cast of Barnacle Geese, “wild” Greylag Geese and Pink-footed Geese, as well as large numbers of Whooper Swans were also present. Raptors also featured with several Red Kites, Hen Harrier, Common Kestrel, European Sparrowhawk, Peregrine and Common Buzzard. Our group also found a first winter Iceland Gull, two very showy Willow Tits and Yellowhammer, Tree Sparrow, Brambling, Twite and Fieldfares and Redwings among a very respectable total of 98 species.