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AYR - Doonfoot and Greenan
Scenery
The stretch of coast between the mouth of the River
Doon and Greenan Castle is a well-known local birdwatching site.
Over 190 species have been seen here including several unusual
migrants.
The main habitats of the area are the mudflats, rocks and mussel beds exposed at low tide, which are backed by dune grassland. There is also a section of low cliff and scrub around Greenan Castle. Woodland is scarce but there is a small wooded island near the mouth of the River Doon. North of the River lies Cunning Park, an area of marsh and fields, almost surrounded by houses.
Being a coastal location, the main species of interest are waders, wildfowl and gulls.
A
total of 32 species of wader have been seen and are present in
numbers from late July through to April and early May. In autumn
a night-time roost of Curlew can number over 1000, these birds
can often be seen on the rocks at Greenan Castle in late evening.
Similar numbers of Lapwing and Golden Plover also occur in autumn and winter. Many of these birds move on to Ireland for the winter. Other waders obvious on the shore are Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Redshank, Dunlin and Turnstone. In autumn a closer look may reveal Sanderling, Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper, whilst in the winter Greenshank are regular.
Greenshank
are often best looked for at high tide when the birds gather
to roost at the Doon mouth and the shore below the Greenan car
park. Wildfowl are mainly present during the winter, with the
nationally important Goldeneye flock, numbering several hundred
birds, the main interest.
Also
present are flocks of Mallard, Teal and Mute Swans. Many other
species pass through on migration including Wigeon, Pintail and
Common Scoter. In autumn flocks of geese and swans can be seen
passing overhead in varying numbers. A small flock of Scaup is
regular in winter, and during cold weather large numbers of Tufted
Duck and Pochard can occur. During the summer flocks of up to
400 Eider gather to moult in Ayr Bay. Small numbers of divers
and gerbes are often present in Ayr Bay and are most numerous
from February to April. The most commonly seen are Red-throated
and Black-throated Divers and Great Crested Grebes.
Doonfoot is well-known for its gulls, with a very large roost of up to 30 000 birds present in autumn and winter. Amongst these large numbers, Glaucous and Iceland Gulls from the arctic are regular in winter, whilst little, Mediterranean and Ring-billed Gulls occur occasionally.
Although
the shore can be quiet in spring and summer, look for terns,
Gannets and Manx Shearwaters feeding out in Ayr Bay. Also at
this time of year, the grassland, scrub and woodland are at their
best for breeding birds. Watch and listen for Chiffchaff and
Blackcap on the wooded island and Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler,
Grasshopper Warbler and Stonechat in the grassland and scrub.
The locally rare Lesser Whitethroat can sometimes be found in
the scrub at Greenan Castle. The Doon mouth is also a good spot
for Kingfisher, which are best looked for from the Scaur O’ Doon
car park.
Cunning Park acts as safe roost site for waders, if they are disturbed from their other roosts. The marsh is an important site for wintering Snipe with over 300 recorded on occasions. It is also one of the best local sites for Jack Snipe in winter.
View Location Map - Doonfoot and Greenan - How to Get There
Download Leaflet (Part 1) - Doonfoot & Greenan (170 KB)
For more information contact:
Fiona Ross
Environment Officer
Sustainable Development, County Buildings
Wellington Square, AYR KA7 1DR
Telephone: (01292) 616673
