Bill came down to the Crook to day to help with the fencing for a picnic area near the car park and asked if i would post the following.
Paul
"The first sizable flock of Whooper Swans arrived today at the Crook 8 has been our best count up to now - 65+ or as close as makes no difference! Some whoopers were grazing in the sheep field on the right immediately before the RSPB signboard/entrance on Shell Road. Great to see and hear this very visible sign that winter migration is well under way, though the 1300+ Golden Plovers at the Crook have been telling us this for some weeks now. They put on a fantastic - no other word for it! - swarming display over the old airfield stubble fields late on Monday, visible from Wigtown Harbour. Tonight there were 3000+ starlings taking part in their ariel antics as the came into roost. The things you see without a camera!"
Hi tabbyman
As with all tidal sites high tide affords the best chance of getting photos of waders and even then a long lens is often needed.
We do not have any hides on the Crook there is one at Wigtown harbour.
The tides for the period you are visiting are on the neap and hardly getting to the low saltmarsh only the 7th is a bit higher at 5.8 at 9.14am which should get to the leading edge of the low saltmarsh.
The salt marsh can be dangerous so would not recommend going out on it.
At the moment with tides the way they are I would say the best places and about the same distance as Port William to the Crook is Loch Ryan at Stranraer specifically the Wig OS grid NX0367 and Balyett OS grid NX0861 Sundays tide is 8.58am and Saturday is 7.54
You could ways try the harbour at Isle of Whithorn on low tide and have a meal at the Steam Packet Sunday they do a £12 three course which me and the wife have found very good.
Wigtown and Bladnoch have good places to eat as well.
Hope you have a good break and get some good photos.