Birding Group Visit to Point of Ayr : 1st April 2014

Birding Group Visit to Point of Ayr : 1st April 2014

The first birding group day of the month was to Point of Ayr where there was to be a 9.9 metre high tide at 12.45pm. We estimated that we would need to be at the hide approximately two hours before and as we all arrived at the car park by 10.30am we were in a good position to take advantage of this tide. Unfortunately some of the group had the idea that we had time to take a walk over the dunes first rather than after the tide with very unfortunate results.

There was a belief among some of the group that being in position an hour before would be good enough. Why they though this beat me because we had done just that the last time we went to Point of Ayr and with the same result – by the time we got to the hide the tide was nearly all the way up to the hide and we had missed the spectacle altogether. A small consolation was that there were very large numbers of Curlew near the hide but, in all honesty, there were only small numbers of other birds. It was interesting to see the tide all the way in as it does come right up to the raised walkway. We did also hear a Great Spotted Woodpecker on the way back. Other than that it was a lovely spring day for a walk and very warm, sunny, and totally windless.

I promised that I would not make the mistake of getting there too late after the previous outing and I was furious at myself that I had let group solidarity have priority over common sense. Third time lucky ?

We returned via Flint Castle where the tide was also all the way in and so no birds were to be seen. A single Kestrel flew into the castle but apart from that all that could be said about the day is that it was a nice walk on a sunny day.

Bird Sightings : Point of Ayr