Up in The Highlands 3

Day four of our stay was spent at Marr Lodge after a lovely, scenic drive through the moors of Aberdeenshire.

We did a longish walk up the valley from there and back and at an early stage encountered some birds at the top of some young conifers.  Some were pipits and I thought I saw a couple of linnets but the one decent photo we got might be of a young stonechat.  It's a bit hard to be sure from the front on view:

Linnet or stonechat?

On the basis of the above I'd say stonechat but another poorer photo I got of a bird in the same flock looks more like a linnet.  After that there was a stretch of path where we had to avoid treading on small millipedes on the path, at least fifteen that I came across and a large moth caterpillar on a rock. Again I'm not sure which kind as fox moth and drinker moth caterpillars look quite similar.

Drinker or Fox Moth Caterpillar?

Millipede

Continuing the insect theme, we came across this moth more than once.  After consulting with an expert, I can establish that it was a common heath.

Common Heath

The colouring of this species can vary a bit, it seems.

Further up the path we were noticing more and more pipits.  I assumed they were all meadow pipits but was pleased to note that one was clearly a tree pipit as I hadn't seen the one the day before.

Tree Pipit

Meadow Pipit

On the way back we followed the river through the woods where there are some striking rocky waterfalls.  As well as more tree pipits, we were saying how surprising it was that we hadn't seen a dipper when suddenly one flew past us upriver.

The journey back the day after was a touch disappointing.  We visited a supposed red squirrel feeder station near Boat of Garten but saw no squirrels and one site that was more a tourist walk.  It was also advising the presence of red squirrels as did most other places visited but we saw none at all during the whole stay.  We drove on to the Lough of The Lowes site only to arrive 15 minutes before it closed, thus unfortunately depriving us of apparently the best view of an osprey nest in the UK.

The was a slight consolation at The Hermitage nearby where we saw the tallest pine trees in the country, numerous wagtails and more impressive waterfalls.  And on the way up we did catch up with a dipper, sitting completely still on a stone.  It was still there in exactly the same position when we passed by again an hour later.

Dipper

Sunday 31st March

The magpies have continued their nest building efforts. Though at times I was thinking any of the three little pigs could have done a better job, it does now look reasonably stable though not fully visible through the bushes.  So far there is no sign of chicks.

Perhaps also looking for a nest site, two or three fat tree bumblebees have worked their way through the garden.  More amusing however have been the antics of some of the pigeons as they seek to feed on the ivy berries out the back.  One even looked like it was having an ivy bath.  A wren has also visited and I got a nice shot of it singing from the 'dreadlocks' bush, so called because I don't know its real name.

Pigeon

Wren

On a bike ride last Wednesday I heard my first chiffchaffs of the year as soon as I was out of High Spen and they are now around in the woods at the back of the garden.  Between Wylam and Matfen skylarks were about and on the River Pont in the village there was a dipper that was spending so much time underwater I started to wonder if it was a small duck.

On Friday there was a Nature Walk at Whittle Dene Reservoirs.  Quite a few birds were seen but mostly at very long distance, notably wigeon, teal, goldeneye, curlew, cormorant, grey heron and greylag goose.  

Towards the end of the afternoon the wind dropped and we did get a few better sightings near the Southern Reservoir.  There were a couple of feral pigeons at the farmhouse, a few pied wagtails and a good view of a meadow pipit on the fence.  I thought I'd seen a warbler but others disagreed. The best thing we did see was a quick flypast by a sand martin, the first hirondine of this summer.  From all that, the only decent photograph I got was this heron.

Friday 5th May

The advantages of early rising were shown this Monday when I opened the curtains at 6.30 a.m. to

This really is common mallow!

see two goldfinches shredding the dandelion seeds right in the gutter opposite my house. Not something likely to happen later in the day.

Ironically in view of my false identification of honesty as common mallow last week, the latest pink flower I noticed was - yes, you've guessed it - common mallow.  It was growing out of a crack on the street just a few yards from the local shop, also on Monday.  Monday was the 29th April, so arguably a little early.

Since then the temperatures have risen in spite of a steady easterly breeze, and for a couple of weeks now no noticeable rain to freshen up the gardens.  By Wednesday I was confident that there would be butterflies around as I set off for Moniaive in bright sunshine.

I decided to go past Newtonairds to see if the spotted flycatchers had returned to the garden there but apparently they arrive at the end of the month and don't nest there until June.  On the way I took a photo to confirm a line of trees were common limes as the leaves looked  rather pale. About 11.00 a.m. I stopped for a snack on the small bridge over the Cairn where the road to Dunscore starts to rise.  By this time it was warming up and a small white and an orange tip fluttered among the trees on the far bank.

Peacock

There was also a single goosander on the river and a dipper, making a very good imitation of a rock with a bright patch on it as it was not dipping at all.

Throughout the day butterflies turned up at fairly regular intervals.  I kept a count and it totalled 12+ small whites, five orange tips and four peacocks, disregarding the ones that flashed by too fast to be properly identified. This peacock (see photo left) was obviously one that had overwintered and looked a bit scruffier than the ones I saw at the end of March.  There were thousands of dandelions around and only one peacock that chose to land on them but it does look like it was feeding rather than just warming up.

Later on I saw a female nuthatch near the river and caught glimpses of a few swallows, pipits and other familiar species, plus a couple of birds that might just have been redpolls.  Apart from one bird flying through a woodland clearing that was probably a buzzard, the skies were entirely free of birds of prey - surprising in view of the wind and the warmth.

Thursday 8th November

Malcolm was over so we did a little nature ramble on Monday, with the idea of ending up at Gretna for the starling murmuration around dusk.

A quick ferret around Dumfries for waxwings proved unsuccessful so we headed for Ae Forest.  In retrospect we might have been better taking a walk along the River Annan as there was once again precious little to see at Ae Forest itself beyond a few tits and robins.  It may just be down to bad luck

A dapper Dipper

but I still have a feeling That the Hairstanes Windfarm Project has lead to a decrease of brid sightings in the forest.

However we did see a few redwings and thrushes in the village itself and, just as we were on the way back to the car there were nice views of two individual dippers on the Water of Ae.

Unsure of timing, we abandoned the idea of a coffee break and headed straight across to Gretna, arriving around 3.15 p.m.  We could have sneaked a coffee as the first birds started to turn up about 4.05 p.m., 20 minutes after sunset.  The location was just South of the Gretna turnoff from the M6 north, on the service road to Metal Bridge.

The birds were still circling the area as 4.40 p.m. when the dark and cold finally drove us off in search of a cafe.  Without any real evidence we felt the display stopped almost immediately afterwards.

Here's a video from the later stages of the murmuration:

Thursday 3rd March

It's really been a case of little to report over the past ten days.  Last week's bike ride was a 'saw nothing, heard next to nothing event' and, to my surprise, so was the walk I went on at the north end of Ae Forest last Saturday.  After four hours all I had seen was a couple of blue tits and a robin and was left wondering whether the new windfarm had anything to do with it.  Then, on the way back to way back to the car, a couple of dippers showed themselves briefly on the Ae Water, which was incidentally incredibly clear so that you could see straight down into a pool about 10' deep - and that it was totally empty of fish.

Yesterday I decided on a long bike ride down the west side of the Nith estuary and it was a similar story.  Even usual bankers like goldfinch and buzzard were not appearing. Then coming back over the moors, I saw two red kites being mobbed by a bunch of corbids a bit north of Fallgunzeon Farm. This is certainly not the furthest east they've been seen, but I haven't noticed them in this area before, which is a good way from their original haunt on the far side of Loch Ken.

Red Kites

Then on the military road just after Milton, there was a kestrel hovering - always good to see but these days you see one where a decade ago you would have seen ten.  At times I wonder if there's just less birds around than even two years ago.

Today however, as if to call me a liar, there was a small flock of goldfinches sitting in the hedgerow as I made my way along the cycle track after dropping the car off.  Then there was a row of dunnocks in the tops of the smaller trees, singing for all they were worth.  A lot of birds were singing in fact, and my thoughts turned happily to spring.

2nd October 2015

The last couple of weeks have been pretty busy, so I am playing catch-up.

Little Egret

Last Wednesday (26/09) I was in the North East again for non-nature reasons, so it was quite fortuitous that I happened to see a white shape in the tree line at the back of the wetland by Warkworth Beach.  Wasn't sure at first if it was a bird or a plastic bag and with no binoculars I couldn't check. But I think this distance shot enables us to make out that it was in fact a little egret clinging to the bush.

Indeed a bit of research proves that little egrets have been visiting the area for a good while now.

This Wednesday I had the pleasure of yet another sunny September bike ride up to Moniaive. Bird behaviour seems to have changed since my last run out and it as if they are needing to get nearer civilisation to find food and are therefore becoming more visible.

Cherry Tree?

Just past Skinford Bridge, a nuthatch was on the edge of the road dissecting a peanut. I've only seen them in trees before.

A while later a jay showed well by the edge of a farmyard, flying back and forth rather than just making straight for tree cover with immense squawkings like they usually do. It seemed a little less colourful than other jays, so I wondered if it was perhaps a juvenile of female.

Then just before Moniaive a couple of bullfinches showed briefly, so a good day for reddish birds.

Also very red and sighted while I was looking at the nuthatch was this tree, which I couldn't immediately identify but it looks like it may be some sort of cherry.

Stopping at another bridge on the way back, a dipper made a fairly prolonged experience, the first one I've seen for a little while.

Sunday 10th May

Last week's weather was very mixed, but managed to sneak in a bike ride and walk around Caerlaverock Nature Reserve on Thursday morning, and even then conditions were a bit mixed.

It was quite rewarding however as apart from many skylarks a good number of willow warblers were about in Castle Wood as well as chaffinches and several reed buntings, though they stayed mainly out of site.  On the way to the hide I saw what I thought was a rook carrying nesting material but as it approached closer I realised it was in fact a buzzard - which was confirmed when a crow came and mobbed it.  I haven't seen a buzzard collect nesting material before.

From the hide I chanced to see a pair of lapwings caught at distance in the binoculars and still indulging in display behaviour.

On the way back there was a possible (not more than 50%) sighting of a whitethroat and a definite though brief view of a linnet close up in increasing rain.  Otherwise one white butterfly and a peacock

Carron Lynns

butterfly on the way back - but still no wheatear.

Also managed a quick run out past Carronbridge nominally looking for tree pippets, but in spite of a pretty walk only saw one dipper on the Lynn plus a curlew at the start of the moor - disregarding a number of swallows, which are now becoming more frequent.

The swifts have arrived back on the estate over the past few days and are already shrieking above the housetops.

Sunday 22nd June

Activities have been restricted by bad hay fever when attempting bike rides. Managed a run up the Cairn valley yesterday looking for redstarts and thought I saw a male fleetingly but it turned out to be a bullfinch. Otherwise a young jay and a probable dipper.

Similar trip last week even worse for hayfever, although did get a good view of a meadow pipit.

Wednesday 16th October

Deliberately slowed down bike ride to try and see a bit more birdlife. Reasonably rewarded with good close-up of buzzard, a view of male dipper that flew straight under the bridge I was standing on and a very brief sighting of a hovering kestrel. Also saw four yellowhammer in hedgerows between Kirkgunzeon and Beeswing - first sighting for a long time.

Sunday 31st March

Another trip out in this boring, freezing Easter holiday.

Visited Brooms to check the fishing prospects, which fully justified my decision not to try yet.  Small match on and though they claimed they'd taken a few fish, I saw no evidence of it in the 20 minutes I was watching.  Most were fishing the pole well out on F1 pond. All the waters looked dead and there was absolutely sign of fish near the surface.  If absolutely forced to fish, I would have gone for the

A Fishing Match on the Annan

deep swim om the oval as I thnk that's where they'll be hiding.

Spoke to one guy who made a mysterious comment about big fish in there but he seemed a bit of a beginner.  Main consolation was one curlew and one kestrel overhead.

Decided on brief walk by the Annan, possibly willow tit connected, and quickly saw two magpies on the way (hooray! Means NUFC must now beat Benfica).  Once there observed wagtails in large numbers - mainly pied south of A75 bridge and mainly grey north of it, goosander, two dippers, two herons, cormorant, suspected redwings that all departed nervously once they saw me and six jackdaws sharing a small tree right next to the “Blue Bell Inn”.

On the way back a couple of not highly coloured tits flew into a tree right by me, but did not stay long.  I sat around but they did not return.  I think they were coalies, the fading light diminishing the appearance of colour.  There was however something about their demeanour and the length of their tails that did not seem quite right...

Saturday 29th December

Two attempts  to fish River Sark for chub over the past ten days.  First time the river was running heavy and coloured.  One dipper seen while walking the banks.  Tried to catch Gretna starling roost but only saw a couple of small flocks.

Today pretty much a repeat story, except river was a little lower.  Still struggled to keep bait stable in the hotel swim.  Starlings almost as elusive as before.

Tuesday 18th September

Walked from Annan to Brydekirk and back along both sides of the Annan, mainly looking for chub spots.  Spent a lot of time looking into the water, but not seeing anything.  Although clear, the water very deep in parts, black and unpenetrable.  Only saw a few smaller fish rising.  One or two snaggy areas with trees. Also no signs to indicate the possibility of fishing it for coarse fish or not.

Good however to see a couple of dippers and a couple of very healthy looking grey wagtails.

It seems there are a lot of species in the Annan and I have seen photos of bream and pike caught as well as chub and grayling.  Chub must also be in the Dryfe Water and Water of Milk if they are in both the Annan and the Kinnel Water.

The following Sunday saw a few curlew and lapwing on a fitness bike ride to Caerlaverock, also lapwing from train to work during the week.