About Graham Clarkson

Born & brought up in Marshside, I started birding there in the mid 1970s & made my first birding trip to Martin Mere in 1977. I've lived, worked & birdied in Abu Dhabi, Northern Ireland & Gloucestershire & I've spent time working in Kazakhstan & Madagascar. I enjoy birding my various West Lancashire patches, making frequent birding visits throughout the north-west of England and North Wales. I stray elsewhere in the UK & enjoy birding abroad from time to time. I'm particularly interested in wildfowl (especially pink-footed geese) with an interest in waders & raptors, bird counts & surveys & conservation. I'm trying to get the hang of photography & digiscoping - I'll get there eventually.

My degree from Edge Hill University is in conservation biology. I've guided on numerous birding days out & trips & guided birding holidays to Lesvos, Andalucia, Extremedura, Majorca, Camargue, Hungary, Finland & Florida. I enjoy showing people birds & habitats & helping them learn more about birds & enjoy birding. I'm currently involved with the Birdwatching and Beyond course at Edge Hill and a brand new venture; Skein Birding.

As well as birding I'm interested in captive breeding & reintroduction projects & zoos, how they're managed & how they contribute to conservation. I'm a proud Lancastrian & love the Lancashire countryside & landscapes. I'm an Evertonian & also keep up with what's happening at Southport, PNE & Bristol Rovers. Gardening, dogs (I have a Labrador & a Tibetan Terrier) and keeping chickens (especially Marsh Daisys & Scots Dumpy Bantams). Ruth & I have two marvellous boys who both love nature too. I hope you find the blog and subjects covered interesting; please feel free to leave a comment.

Thursday, 26 December 2013

Wild winds at Caerlaverock

On the penultimate shopping weekend before Christmas some of the birdwatching and beyond chaps and I headed up to WWT Caerlaveock for some wildfowl action. The strong winds and latterly, driving rain, literally put a dampener on things but we enjoyed the Barnacle Geese (c. 7000), 118 Whooper Swans, a drake Green-winged Teal, a first-winter drake Greater Scaup and a hunting Peregrine. 

Drake Green-winged Teal on the Folly pond. 

Barnacle Geese coming in thick and fast

First winter drake Greater Scaup from the Peter Scott Observatory

Pair of adult Whooper Swans struggling in a gale....

A few of the 118 Whooper Swans hunkering down in stormy conditions

Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)