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 30th March

Yesterday two greenfinches in trees next to Oakfield Brae.  Must be the breeding season.

Trip to Castle Loch for attempt on willow tit again.  None seen, none heard, though a nature watcher with huge camera and camouflage jacket told me he saw six on the banks of the Annan the other day.

Did however see nuthatch, treecreeper, long-tailed tit, red squirrel, wren, tufted duck and reed bunting (first one this year).  Wren caused me to think how long it is since I saw a goldcrest.

Inspired myself to take a run up to Poldivan area but all quiet.  No goshawk noise.  Sum total of sightings:  dead shrew, two crows on the trees that used to be favoured by great grey shrike and one unidentified raptor flyover.

On the way back a couple more probable redwings (didn't stop to confirm) and one meadow pipit by Amisfield Moor.

Thursday 28th March

Positively identified two redwing at Dumfries station while waiting for train.  Pretty sure that's what I saw on 8th January.  Redwing are quite hard to identify at a distance, because the distinguishing marks are quite small.

Also a small finch like bird singing at the top of the big conifer on platform 2.  Might have been a female greenfinch but seemed a bit slender. Linnet??

Wednesday 27th March

Wheelers again but this time had already sighted 12 species on the way to Beeswing via Kirkconnell Flow, most notable including again sparrowhawk, which appeared to make a run at a sedentary hare, goosander (I think) and redwing.  Also heard jay and very prominent woodpecker.  This time quite heavy snow after New Abbey affected sightings.

Wednesday 20th March

Wheelers to Corsock.  Very parky over the moors with light snow, so gave up counting bird species at 12.  Most notable were greenfinch  and sparrowhawk. Clearly saw at around 100 yards a black squirrel running along the old railway embankment by Dalquhairn on Byeway.  Notified Squirrel Conservation person who says there have been several sightings of brunette squirrels in the area, which are a derivation of the red.  This however contradicts one web reference I've seen which talks about black squirrels being a derivation of the grey.  This one was black as pitch.

Monday 11th March

On walking back onto estate, my attention was drawn to trees on the new road where there were a couple of bramblings and a siskin amongst the chaffinches.  Haven't seen a brambling for many years, not in fact since I started taking more interest in birds.

Wednesday 4th March

Ambitious bike ride to Moniaive with Wednesday Wheelers at appropriately slow speed.  After spotting mad march hare on way out of Dumfries decided to see if I could beat the dozen bird species spotted on last ride and was surprised to notch up 20 on the way there alone.

Most productive stretch was the back road from the Cairn to Moniaive, producing male bullfinch and kestrel, which is now almost rare locally.  Also possible female grouse or red-legged partridge in stubble field that immediately hid before I could get a second look.

Much cooler in steady East wind.