Ten Thousand Geese...Part Two.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting —

From Wild Geese by Mary Oliver

Otter Pool at Wood of Cree

             25^th Oct.  Overnight rain had ceased before dawn and we left early under clearing skies for the long drive to Glen Trool which was to be a stop off prior to a visit to the North Rhinns and Loch Ryan.  I day dreamed of the adventures of Robert the Bruce as we arrived at the road into the glen, only to find the road closed, we surmised because of fallen trees caused by the recent storms.  Undaunted we decided to take the narrow road past nearby Wood of Cree.  Whilst we didn’t walk into the woods we did stop and visit Otter Pool.  There were no Otters, nor was there any other sign of life on the reflective still waters of the pool, but it did offer a rather pleasant autumnal scenic image.  Our visit wasn’t without reward in the form of birds however, as we added Raven, Jay, Nuthatch and Treecreeper to our trip list.  The Raven was heard before being seen very well as it flew past us with the woods as a background and then perching for a time before flying off into the distance.  Sparrowhawk was also seen.  The sun was now breaking through and the air was still, but cold.  The air was anything but still when we arrived at the edge of Loch Ryan as the wind blew off the loch and I was unable to warm up until we found some shelter in one off several stops we made to view the loch between Innermessen and Stranraer.

Brent Geese, Loch Ryan

The species that really caught the eye were the Brent Geese, first seen only at some distance and the wind wasn’t helping keep the telescope steady.  When we later moved towards Stranraer we came very close to these Brent Geese and could hear their calls very clearly.  This is perhaps as close as I have been to Brent Geese.  We initially counted about ninety birds, but more flew in as we watched and there were still some more distant birds, so well over one hundred.  The closest birds were on the water in front of us and quite close to the road and pathway, so they are clearly used to disturbance, although they were on their guard and ready to move should anyone try to get too close.  We found flocks of Scaup and the likes of, Whooper Swan, Mute Swan, Greylag Geese, Great Crested Grebe, Shelduck, Wigeon, Tea, Eider, Red-breasted Merganser, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Turnstone, Redshank and Curlew.  We eventually left for the northern tip of the Rhinns and Corsewell Lighthouse, thinking that we had even stronger winds to look forward to at this good sea-watching point.  The remains of Corsewell Castle, a 15^th Century Tower House and in ruins for 400 years, were to the left of us as we approached the point.

Brent Geese, Loch Ryan.

My initial thoughts were that the northern Rhinns were not as attractive as the southern area that we had visited in early summer, but I had reason to change my mind especially on arriving at Corsewell Lighthouse, which incidentally holds an hotel.  It helped that on arrival we found that the strong wind had lessened to a refreshing breeze and it was, thankfully, much warmer now.  The Mull of Galloway is quite an experience, but Corsewell has an appeal of its own.  It’s not an easy spot to get too and I’m happy to say we had the area to ourselves throughout our time here.  The view is excellent, and we took in Northern Ireland, Kintyre and it’s Mull, Arran, Ailsa Craig and the coast-line of Ayrshire which at times was well lit by sunlight.  A few of these areas brought back happy memories of previous trips to both Sam and me.  There was no lack of sea birds with a steady passage Including Black Guillemot, Guillemot, Razorbill, Kittiwake and other gulls, Gannet, close-up Red-throated Diver in some number and Rock Pipit was seen passing by.  We also watched the ferries passing between Belfast and Stranraer which came and left on a regular basis.  It wasn’t easy to pull ourselves away from this wonderful seascape, but we had another stop to make for more watching of Loch Ryan, this time from ‘The Wig’, and time was precious.

Corsewell Lighthouse

There’s a pleasant circular walk at The Wig which takes you past the shore of Loch Ryan, so close you are warned of waves caused by the ferries, although I didn’t see any sign of them whilst there.  Nearby there the area of an RAF Airbase which was used during the war and where the great comedian Tony Hancock was based during war service (who can forget his classic line in the Blood Donor…A pint? That’s very nearly an armful!)  Parts of the runway can still be seen.  Loch Ryan was strategically very important during the Second World War.

Ayrshire coast in distance from Corsewell 

Our walk brought sightings of numerous passerines, Siskin was heard, and Redwings again seen along with a single Fieldfare.  This time even greater numbers of Scaup were seen, some rafts of them very close to us and we’d seen hundreds before we left.  Sam picked up our second Slavonian Grebe of the trip and there were numerous Red-throated Divers, Shags, and Red-breasted Mergansers.  Goosander was also seen.  I think we would agree that our sighting of the day was in the form of Great Northern Diver (the Brent Geese not far behind) , six of them in a group and although some distance away, not too far to recognise that five of them retained most of their summer plumage.  The plumage of the sixth bird was more diffuse and may well have been a juvenile bird.  At one point the six divers formed a tight line and even the passing ferry didn’t seem to disturb them.  An excellent sighting indeed.  Two Common Seals appeared to inspect us from just off shore.  It was now time to retrace our steps to the car and return south, or more precisely east, to our accommodation and prepare for another hearty meal.  Light had gone by the time of our arrival back at base.  Sam heard Tawny Owl calling tonight.  I was so cream crackered tonight I didn’t care if the rain had returned or not.  It had been another great day’s birding with sixty-nine species seen.  Still more to come.