Day in the west of Scotland

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davidy233

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I'll be dropping my son off to catch a flight at Prestwick airport early one morning next week and am planning on to taking the whole day working my way back to Dundee - I'm flexible on the route I'll take but current idea is up the Ayrshire coast past Largs and along the Clyde to the Erskine Bridge - then up and around the North End of Loch Lomond before heading East to Perth via Crieff.

Does anyone live or have experience of the areas along that route - I'm looking for spots which which have possibilities of wildlife viewings - a quick search of the Internet last night didn't really come up anything promising.
 
You'll get waders and others along the coast, Saltcoats seems quite active at the moment. The Ballast Bank at Troon provides good opportunities for waders and sea birds but it's variable.

Lochwinnoch is a big nature reserve. They have public hides that cost £3 for non RSPB members to use. It can be hit and miss there though but if you're passing, it's worth a couple of hours of your time.

Rozelle Park in Ayr provides good opportunities for woodland birds. Ayr Beach and Greenan Shore can be good too as well as nearby Doonfoot, mainly waders and seabirds.

The coast is your oyster really, anywhere you can pull in along that way should give you a good chance of waders and waterbirds, as well as seals, fox, deer in some places, maybe even stoat too.

I can't really speak for much further north than the West Kilbride area as the above is more my local patch but all along that coast is usually very active.
 
Luss and Tarbet had a variety of birds, Tarbet had canada geese, ducks and gull, Luss had a variety of seabirds, ducks, and small birds. St Fillans had dippers, swans, and your typical small birds.
 
Pow burn near prestwick airport is my regular haunt but you really need a low tide.
There's heron, kingfishers, egret, curlew, redshanks, plovers, stonechats, goldfinches etc. Also seen a stoat as well.
I drive up the coast road for work regularly, and between Largs and wemyss bay you'll see plenty. Herons, shags, cormorrants and a variety of others. I'm always saying I should take a run up on my day off.
 
Thanks to you all for your help - we had a cracking day (it helped that the weather was nice) - didn't see a lot of wildlife though, but we fixed that with half an hour spent watching the Balgavies Loch ospreys at the end of our day
 
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