I managed a mid-festive season walk last Thursday and decided to try one of the walks between Moniaive and Dalry I have noticed while cycling.
Unfortnately the experience was marred by the weather, which although reasonably clear around Dumfries, turned to light drizzle and a fairly substantial mist at my eventual selection, the Margree Circular.
In any case there seemed to be fairly little to see and all I managed to spot in the first hour was one large buzzard disturbed in trees near a lochan and a couple of wrens. As I continued round the forest path, a coal tit started an amusing game of hide 'n' seek as it kept fleeing along the trackside ditch and trying to hide behind any vegetation it could find. But every time it lost nerve when I drew level and flew on again.
Then there was a small flock of finches in some sparse trees, though the light was so poor it was not possible to pick out any colouration on them at all beyond the white rump in flight. I supposed that they were bullfinches, though brambling may have been a possibility.
Shortly after this it became apparent that the occasional signposts for the track had become completely non-existent, so there was no way of confirming whether I was on the right road at junctions. With conditions deteriorating and darkness approaching, I decided to retrace the whole of the route covered so far, at which point the walk became a minor safety exercise and all attempts at spotting were abandoned.
Although the walk was a relative dissapointment, there was one noteworthy feature of the day. On the drive towards to Moniaive I saw a red kite hovering over the road just a mile or two out of Holywood. Kites have been seen in the Lochmaben area but this is definitely the furthest East I have ever seen them.
Monday, 2 January 2017
Friday, 16 December 2016
Thursday 16th December
Another bike ride yesterday, about which my first reaction is to say I didn't see very much. In fact there was a couple of bullfinches, a few buzzards and just past Irongray Church a flock of finches that I took to be chaffinches. But they seemed a bit more nervous than chaffinches normally are and I noticed that some had some white showing in the tail rather than the wing area, so I think that at least some of them may have been linnets.
And on the way back there were a couple of medium-sized brown birds that I didn't stop to investigate as I was riding with someone. Later the flick of a very white, short tail that probably belonged to a stonechat. Another white flash of rump was almost certainly a jay and I certainly heard a couple.
Even so, I find myself reflecting that I invariably see more when I'm out than I actually report. I don't for example note sparrows other than tree sparrows, any gulls (which I mostly dislike), blackbirds, crows or rooks. Chaffinches and the commonest tits generally don't get a mention but goldfinches and coal tits often do, even though they are often more plentiful. Wrens, robins and dunnocks don't score much either and neither do mallards, coots or moorhens. Jackdaws might get a mention if they're doing something interesting, as might an oystercatcher. A thrush almost certainly would but starlings would need to be part of a murmuration, while buzzards have a chance if no other birds of prey are around.
The assumption is broadly that some birds are so common that you will always see them. Or is it that you always used to see them, even though this is no longer the case?
And on the way back there were a couple of medium-sized brown birds that I didn't stop to investigate as I was riding with someone. Later the flick of a very white, short tail that probably belonged to a stonechat. Another white flash of rump was almost certainly a jay and I certainly heard a couple.
Even so, I find myself reflecting that I invariably see more when I'm out than I actually report. I don't for example note sparrows other than tree sparrows, any gulls (which I mostly dislike), blackbirds, crows or rooks. Chaffinches and the commonest tits generally don't get a mention but goldfinches and coal tits often do, even though they are often more plentiful. Wrens, robins and dunnocks don't score much either and neither do mallards, coots or moorhens. Jackdaws might get a mention if they're doing something interesting, as might an oystercatcher. A thrush almost certainly would but starlings would need to be part of a murmuration, while buzzards have a chance if no other birds of prey are around.
The assumption is broadly that some birds are so common that you will always see them. Or is it that you always used to see them, even though this is no longer the case?
Thursday, 8 December 2016
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
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:
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
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| A dapper Dipper |
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:
Wednesday, 30 November 2016
Wednesday 30th November
Of course I should have realised that the unidentified waders in the last post were in fact turnstones. I'm really not quite sure how I missed that as I've seen them before. Perhaps the photo made them look bigger than I was expecting.
Last week mainly avoided the great outdoors in view of ongoing cold snap, but on Sunday visited Northumberlandia with my sister - a surprisingly barren place for birds in view of the fact that it's been established for a few years. Just two swans on one lake and a couple of crows and seagulls. More exciting was a kestrel hovering over the edge of the huge opencast mine next to it. It made me remember how rarely we see them now in Dumfries and Galloway.
I have spent some time out looking for waxwings but couldn't find them at the ice bowl or in where sitings had been reported, nor around St Michael's churchyard, where they often attack the yewberries.
Heathhall
Then following a lead on twitter I amended my planned bike ride today and found them just a few minutes away on the main road out of the estate towards the Craigs. They seemed to be still roosting. Also it looked to be a bigger flock than reported elsewhere. I counted them and there were about thirty.
Had a bit of spare time so took a detour to Caerlaverock WWT and quickly saw a stonechat moving across the road. I then regretted not having brought a pair of binoculars as there were a couple of birds that were hard to identify at distance, including the statutory barnacle geese (no binoculars needed).
Returning through the same area, I then did spot a kestrel, making it two in four days. Very pleased after my wistful thoughts about kestrels on Sunday.
To top that there were about 100 whooper swans in a field just past the Brow Well riding east - not a totally rare sight, but pleasing nevertheless..
I returned through Heathhall, but two groups of waxwings on the same day was asking too much.
Last week mainly avoided the great outdoors in view of ongoing cold snap, but on Sunday visited Northumberlandia with my sister - a surprisingly barren place for birds in view of the fact that it's been established for a few years. Just two swans on one lake and a couple of crows and seagulls. More exciting was a kestrel hovering over the edge of the huge opencast mine next to it. It made me remember how rarely we see them now in Dumfries and Galloway.
I have spent some time out looking for waxwings but couldn't find them at the ice bowl or in where sitings had been reported, nor around St Michael's churchyard, where they often attack the yewberries.
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| Waxwings in Georgetown |
Then following a lead on twitter I amended my planned bike ride today and found them just a few minutes away on the main road out of the estate towards the Craigs. They seemed to be still roosting. Also it looked to be a bigger flock than reported elsewhere. I counted them and there were about thirty.
Had a bit of spare time so took a detour to Caerlaverock WWT and quickly saw a stonechat moving across the road. I then regretted not having brought a pair of binoculars as there were a couple of birds that were hard to identify at distance, including the statutory barnacle geese (no binoculars needed).
Returning through the same area, I then did spot a kestrel, making it two in four days. Very pleased after my wistful thoughts about kestrels on Sunday.
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| Whooper Swans |
I returned through Heathhall, but two groups of waxwings on the same day was asking too much.
Monday, 21 November 2016
Monday 21st November
Rather slim pickings over the past few weeks, but here's a summary of what has happened.
Last Wednesday, did a windy bike ride to Crocketford and back through the Glenkilns. Three long-tailed tits passed through a tree on the cycle track and a red kite was sailing around just South of Crocketford. On the way back there were good sightings of three more kites and a buzzard.
Stopped on the hill where red squirrels and tits often come down to feed, but few did. The one squirrel that did turn up seemed more intent on guarding the feeders than eating itself, though it did take a couple of bits of apple.
The following day, I followed up news that waxwings are in the Dumfries area, but didn't see any in the obvious areas of Dock Park and St Michael's Churchyard though the latter already contained plenty of yewberries and the blackbirds and thrushes were making merry.
On Friday I travelled to Alnwick and paused briefly at Bolam Lake where a couple of male goldeneye were visible.
At the coast over the weekend there was not a whole lot to see. However the rocks at Alnmouth contained some sanderling and redshank, plus these waders (right) which I haven't been able to identify. I'm wondering if they were juvenile plovers.
Also unidenitifiable were some large brown-looking diving birds that we at first mistook for seals, but they were too far off to even hazard a guess at.
At home my favourite coal tit is still busy and was picking minute grubs out of the pear tree today.
Last Wednesday, did a windy bike ride to Crocketford and back through the Glenkilns. Three long-tailed tits passed through a tree on the cycle track and a red kite was sailing around just South of Crocketford. On the way back there were good sightings of three more kites and a buzzard.
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| Squirrel on Guard |
Stopped on the hill where red squirrels and tits often come down to feed, but few did. The one squirrel that did turn up seemed more intent on guarding the feeders than eating itself, though it did take a couple of bits of apple.
The following day, I followed up news that waxwings are in the Dumfries area, but didn't see any in the obvious areas of Dock Park and St Michael's Churchyard though the latter already contained plenty of yewberries and the blackbirds and thrushes were making merry.
On Friday I travelled to Alnwick and paused briefly at Bolam Lake where a couple of male goldeneye were visible.
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| Unidentified |
Also unidenitifiable were some large brown-looking diving birds that we at first mistook for seals, but they were too far off to even hazard a guess at.
At home my favourite coal tit is still busy and was picking minute grubs out of the pear tree today.
Monday, 7 November 2016
Monday 7th November
Took advantage of a sunny afternoon to walk along the merse from Caerlaverock Nature Reserve to the edge of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust site before gloomier waether sets in this week.
You wouldn't think there had already been a couple of frosts from the number of insects on the wing, notably a number of whitefly around the car park and path and even a brown dragonfly.
On the way to the merse I caught site of a bright male bullfinch and shortly after a fleeing jay. Otherwise there wasn't much to be seen on the way there but there was a lot of gorse around and also this stuff. The nearest suggestion I can get from my Book of Flowers is white mustard.
In the hedgerow bordering the Wetland Trust, I was amused to identify another goldcrest, making it two in two visits. Maybe they are managing a comeback. I'm sure they were very badly hit by the extreme winters of five years ago.
On the way back there was a single buzzard moping in a tree, a quick glimpse of a couple of lapwing sailing over the distant fields, and this little brown item (pictured below). I'm still waiting for suggestions about it's identity but the yellow beak and lack of white tail outline suggests it might just be a twite.
You wouldn't think there had already been a couple of frosts from the number of insects on the wing, notably a number of whitefly around the car park and path and even a brown dragonfly.
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| White Mustard? |
In the hedgerow bordering the Wetland Trust, I was amused to identify another goldcrest, making it two in two visits. Maybe they are managing a comeback. I'm sure they were very badly hit by the extreme winters of five years ago.
On the way back there was a single buzzard moping in a tree, a quick glimpse of a couple of lapwing sailing over the distant fields, and this little brown item (pictured below). I'm still waiting for suggestions about it's identity but the yellow beak and lack of white tail outline suggests it might just be a twite.
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| Twite?? |
Monday, 31 October 2016
Sunday 30th October
Took my first nature walk for a long time and chose to go around the Threave Castle area.
On the way to the Stepping Stones hide I saw the first goldcrest for a very long time. It hung around obligingly but I could not get a camera shot that showed it up amongst the tree foliage. At the hide there was a score of corbids sitting on an island in the middle of the river, presumably rooks. One or two were stockier than the others and I wondered if they could be ravens. In any case I have never seen either bird behave in this fashion before.
Then three whooper swans flew up the river, not quite fully mature as they still had bits of grey on them.
In the trees just before the castle on the far side, there was a flock of birds foraging. I had a quick check to see if they were all blackbirds and indeed thought I saw several redwing, though the
photo I took shows clearly they were fieldfares.
There were a lot of them in the woodland near the other two hides, but they weren't offering more than the most cursory sighting. From the upper hide, I saw a tree creeper but not much else and from the lower just a couple of roe deer and a pair of birds in the reed grasses I could not identify. They were behaving like whinchats and flicking their tails but surely it was too late in the season for them.
The weather was still very mild and lots of flies on the wing. Ducks and geese were not to be seen but apparently there have been some pink-footed geese very recently.
On the way to the Stepping Stones hide I saw the first goldcrest for a very long time. It hung around obligingly but I could not get a camera shot that showed it up amongst the tree foliage. At the hide there was a score of corbids sitting on an island in the middle of the river, presumably rooks. One or two were stockier than the others and I wondered if they could be ravens. In any case I have never seen either bird behave in this fashion before.
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| Whooper Swans |
Then three whooper swans flew up the river, not quite fully mature as they still had bits of grey on them.
In the trees just before the castle on the far side, there was a flock of birds foraging. I had a quick check to see if they were all blackbirds and indeed thought I saw several redwing, though the
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| Fieldfares and a couple of blackbirds |
There were a lot of them in the woodland near the other two hides, but they weren't offering more than the most cursory sighting. From the upper hide, I saw a tree creeper but not much else and from the lower just a couple of roe deer and a pair of birds in the reed grasses I could not identify. They were behaving like whinchats and flicking their tails but surely it was too late in the season for them.
The weather was still very mild and lots of flies on the wing. Ducks and geese were not to be seen but apparently there have been some pink-footed geese very recently.
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