Ayrshire Winter Bird Race

My team The Drift Migrants battled the wind and rain for the eighth Ayrshire Winter Bird Race. Five teams competed and surprisingly we managed to win by one species, albeit on an unsurprisingly low 83. Much of the time it was impossible to hear or see anything through the rain. We all met up at a warm and dry pub (one driver unhappy there was no coffee!) at Irvine Harbourside after eight hours scouring the country. Our highlights included Tree Sparrow, Raven, Goosander, Whooper Swan, Pink-footed Goose, and Purple Sandpiper. The Smith and Songs team (Angus,Dick and Don) came a very close second on 82. A total of 107 was recorded for the day by the five teams. The trophy below was presented a number of years ago to the Ayrshire SOC Touring group by a local bird group in Sri Lanka and is now used as the 'prize' for each race.