Friday 28th September

Mixed fishing expedition to Brooms on swim 8 in calm conditions.  Wasted a couple of hours in the margins to produce only one carp on pellet and a couple of tiddlers. Action was slow enough to notice a small flock of swallows moving in to take flies above the water as the temperature went up to the upper teens in mid-afternoon.

Frustrated, went on the long link feeder at distance using hair-rigged prawns, which produced a run a cast for two hours, but of the ten fish hooked only five were landed - the best approaching 4lb.  Had a slight feeling with this was due to the link between the feeder and the main swivel without being able to explain why.  On 8lb line, these fish made an incredible fight all the way back to the net but kicked free in the final stages.  All caught were commons but one escapee that found the reeds was a mirror.  After one biteless cast, tried the margins again without success, and after one last fish came off on the feeder wondered how many I would have had if I'd stuck to it.

Also saw two dragonflies and an unidentified butterfly.  Sadly the red admiral did not revisit the buddleia which is more or less finished for this year.  It would be nice to see it last into October but clearly unlikely to ever happen.

Wednesday 26th September

Bike ride to Loch Ken Sailing Centre, with again few sightings to note. Possible hen harrier did not hang around long enough to be identified. Five red kites on moorland after Kirkpatrick Durham and eight or ten wagtails on the road at one point. Notably absent were swallows, possibly indicating they have already started off to Africa.

Friday 20th September

Bit of a disastrous session on Queensberry Peg 14 at Brooms, where it drizzled steadily for half the day contrary to forecast.  Started with prawn on feeder thinking to change onto pole late afternoon but only got twitches and one decent run fishing towards the tree in the corner.

So switched to pole early, having found an interesting drop off between two patches of aquatic plants to my right.  Thought meat might work in the colder conditions, but switching to prawn was far more productive and had a couple of commons and a slightly damaged mirror by teatime.

Then it all went wrong.  Started losing fish on the way in and eventually one took the lot with it, having snapped the elastic, which must have been fraying.

Switched inevitably to feeder in the same swim, which if anything accelerated the rate of bites, but still kept losing fish. Part of the problem was the wet wooden planking in front of the peg as I was apprehensive about slipping over. One of them snagged the line on the platform when I was slow to stand up, then another got off as I was gingerly getting the landing net out. Others shed the hook at some point during the fight. Eventually the ide moved in and I packed up.

Friday 20th September

Painted lady appeared at least once more this week but again singly, so no big irruption.  Since then peacocks have decreased and red admirals have increased. Now we are left with one magnificent large red admiral that visits the remaining, rather small buddleia blooms on its own.

Today pleasant walk in the more obscure parts of Ae Forest, but little bird life observed - a few wrens and a jay on the way in.

Wednesday 11th September

A good number of meadow pipits north of the Cairn on the way over to Corsock by bike. Chasing each other over the moors, which I haven't seen before.