December 2019 Roundup

December was a fairly quiet month both in the garden and around Burray in general. The garden had the usual crowd of House Sparrow and Starlings, a Robin and Wren and a female Blackbird. Claire spotted a Blackbird in the garden the week before Christmas with a ring on its left leg so it wasn't one of mine as I ring on the right leg. Although I kept an eye out for it at the weekend I didn't see it. The highlight of the month was seeing a Hen Harrier hunting over our paddock and heath land on a couple of weekend afternoons.

I didn't get out birding at all during the month either due to the weather or other things going on.

It was dark when I went to work and came home so I couldn't even see what was on Echna Loch or across the road out in Echnaloch Bay. The few times I drove past on the weekends there were the usual pair of Mute Swans, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Wigeon, Great Black-backed Gulls, Common Gulls and usually at least one male Goldeneye on the loch itself and out in the bay Long-tailed Ducks, Red-breasted Mergansers, Great Black-backed Gulls, Common Gulls, Shags with one or two Redshank and a few Oystercatchers.

With strong to gale force winds forecast for the start of the new year it could be a bit of a slow start!!

The last day of the year saw a cracking sunset and we wait to see what a new dawn, a new year and a new decade bring.

Thanks for following my blog and I hope you continue to visit next year.

Here's to a great year of birding in 2020.