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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AlanR" data-source="post: 1516339" data-attributes="member: 49974">Final ThoughtsWhy did I go to Ayr?A bit of a long story. I take the odd coach trip to the coast for birdwatching as it’s really cheap. I looked at the holidays offered by the coach firm and a holiday in Ayrshire and the Isle of Arran for this week looked a good birding opportunity. I booked my place but not many others did and the trip was cancelled. In a moment of madness I thought I could do the same thing. I checked out some possible birding sites in the area and then booked my own B&B. At least I could break up the journey with stops on the way.Was is a Good Holiday?It was a good birdwatching holiday but not a really great one. I never got to visit Ailsa Crag and missed out on Red Grouse, Black Grouse and Golden Eagle. But I did get to see about 80 species including 14 year ticks and the Bempton visit made up for missing Ailsa.PositivesIt didn’t rain that much and the driving (1500 miles) was much netter than it could have been. The environs of Ayr are very pleasant with great landscapes and seascapes and I never got bored.NegativesI could have done with better weather! I don’t think I saw the sun and a bit of sun might have made photography a bit easier. Will I do it Again?Quite possibly but with some changes. It was so easy to book B&B. I could have stayed at more than one location - perhaps with a few days on Arran, or further North.It has been fun doing this report. Thanks for reading.Alan(I couldn’t resist adding some shots of my favourite birds, the corvids.)</blockquote>

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