CARSETHORN
Another great spot on the Solway Firth
Like so many locations along the north shore of the Solway, Carsethorn has a good mixture of habitats for waders, wildfowl and seabirds, ensuring there’s always something to find at all times of year. JOHN MILES
WHERE TO WATCH
1 A small set of fish ponds are found on your left just after the turn off from Kirkbean. There are normally Grey Herons here with waders including Snipe. Tufted Duck and Teal are the normal but have been joined by Smew. Feral geese are often present.
2 Check the fields around the area for Pink-footed and Barnacle Geese. Notable rare geese here have included Todd’s Canada Goose and Red-breasted Goose. When the fields are wet waders like Curlew, Redshank and Lapwing can feed here in winter. The local farm is helping the breeding waders by using electric fencing around nests to keep off Foxes as well as Badgers.
3 Walk down to the Carse Burn, where the fresh water can attract lots of birds like Little Egret, Wigeon, Teal and Pintail. Small birds like Meadow Pipit and Linnets often gather here, attracting both Merlin and Sparrowhawk (to hunt them, that is) in winter. Waders attracted here in autumn include Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Ruff, Spotted Redshank and Greenshank. Both Hoopoe and Rustic Bunting have been found on the beach.
4 Walking past the village look for a good mixture of waders including regular wintering Whimbrel, which are joined by spring arrivals to take them back north to Iceland. Other waders include Turnstone, Dunlin, Knot and Oystercatcher, and both godwits are possible. It is worth looking for Rock Pipits along the shore in winter.
5 At low tide there are very large sandbanks often with some very big flocks of Oystercatchers on them but when the tide starts to move it can add so many birds to the area. There was once a large flock of Scaup here but now it is often just single figures. Red-breasted Merganser, Red-throated Diver and Great Crested Grebes can float in and out. Wind can add to the fun with possible sea ducks like Common Scoter and Long-tailed Duck, plus petrels and rarer gulls like Iceland and the increasing Mediterranean Gull.