Not particularly nice weather for bike ride to Crocketford but did see a couple of bullfinches on the way to Lochfoot roundabout and the usual flurry of goldfinches just after it.
Peacock butterflies now more numerous in the garden but still no painted lady.
Thursday 31 July 2014
Tuesday 29 July 2014
Tuesday 29th July
Fishing session on Brooms peg 15. Strange day. Caught a small common first cast on legered prawn, then nothing. Went into margin on short pole from 4.30 but fewer fish moving through. Could not get proper bites on meat and had feeling they were sucking the bait to test it. Finally at 8.30 p.m. took another very good mirror on triple sweetcorn. Best fight so far and fairly confident it would have beaten 10 lb. Few carp taken today but the new bridge and cut between ponds produced a couple. No sign of barbel, perhaps due to cooler weather.
Saturday 26 July 2014
Saturday 26th July
Walk round Mill Loch to see some baby pied wagtails, very grey and fluffy and a female reed bunting. Stopped briefly near bowling green on Castle Loch and spotted a sedge warbler and briefly saw the silhouette of a bird that had the shape of a grasshopper warbler (couldn't confirm).
Wednesday 23 July 2014
Wednesday 23rd July
Bike ride from Crocketford to Palnackie via Kirkgunzeon. Lovely little burn at Kirkgunzeon full of small trout - the first I've seen this summer.
A lot of buzzards on the moors near the gliding club and a couple of birds of prey circling and creeching at each other along the road from Caulkerbush to Dalbeattie. John and Tony from cycling group reckon they might have been young peregrines and on hearing the calls on the internet, this may well have been so.
A lot of buzzards on the moors near the gliding club and a couple of birds of prey circling and creeching at each other along the road from Caulkerbush to Dalbeattie. John and Tony from cycling group reckon they might have been young peregrines and on hearing the calls on the internet, this may well have been so.
Thursday 17 July 2014
Thursday 17th July
We finished off Malcolm's visit with an energetic walk right round Kirkconnel Flow. Although not as sunny as forecast, managed to see a few large heaths in flight, ringlet, meadow brown, meadow pipit, reed bunting and probable whinchat, mainly identified by call. No dragonflies or crossbills.
Wednesday 16 July 2014
Tuesday 15th and Wednesday 16th July
Two trips to Brooms with Malcolm, first on North side of Queensberry, second on SE corner of F1 pond.
Tuesday 15th: Malcolm v happy with three commons, bream, good perch of 2.5 lb plus 3 lb barbel (which was what I hoped he might catch). Most fish on ledgered prawn and barbel on bacon in the margin. I had a lot of small stuff in margin plus a couple of carp - can't remember exactly how many as proceedings were dominated by a long, large mirror which fought strongly for over five minutes and at first estimated at over 10 lb. The photo doesn't appear to justify this claim but is not taken from a good angle. My carp came to meat.
There was a lot of movement between pegs 15 and 16 and I clearly saw barbel passing beneath my feet. Bigger fish were taken in about 2' of water inches from the bankside weeds. This seems to be something of a big fish area. Malcolm lost a couple of good fish through heavy handed tactics.
Wednesday 16th: Wind was strong today and swim choice dubious as this once productive area has
been heavily cleared out. Malcolm could not get bites nearer to corner but I eventually contacted another big mirror, shorter but fatter, just off the remaining reed bed towards centre on meat. This one fought in a similar manner to the one yesterday - no real long runs but constant resistance under the pole tip and took ages to come up in the water. I reckoned it at about 8lb - 9lb. Then got another mirror of 5 - 6lb from the same spot. Changing to pellet, got a streaming run and a very angry fight but the result was a common of about 4lb that was foul hooked just below the dorsal fin.
I then let Malcolm try the swim and he caught a couple of nice commons on worm - the first time in the two days we managed to fish worm without attracting small perch - before losing a bigger fish.
There was a lot of movement between pegs 15 and 16 and I clearly saw barbel passing beneath my feet. Bigger fish were taken in about 2' of water inches from the bankside weeds. This seems to be something of a big fish area. Malcolm lost a couple of good fish through heavy handed tactics.
Wednesday 16th: Wind was strong today and swim choice dubious as this once productive area has
I then let Malcolm try the swim and he caught a couple of nice commons on worm - the first time in the two days we managed to fish worm without attracting small perch - before losing a bigger fish.
Thursday 10 July 2014
Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th July
Bike Ride to Caerlaverock via Brow Well and walk to Mabie Butterfly reserve.
Had alrady gone for a short walk in the fringes of Mabie last week and seen large numbers of ringlet as well as meadow brown, common blue and small pearl bordered fritillary.
On bike ride saw probable garden warbler and possible linnet in hedges at Brow Well. Meadow brown was much in evidence between there and Caerlaverock.
Not so the following day when again the ringlet was out in force and meadow brown was just now and again. Butterfly trail not overwhelmed in spite of sunny weather but did see small numbers of common blue, small heath. Fritillaries were around but not settling for long and the one I got a good look at was a dark green as I suspect were the others, so more evidence that this species is now fairly common.
Interestingly there were no sightings of red admiral, small tortoiseshell (although one dead on road) or peacock.
Also some siskins, a close view of a willow warbler as well as some glimpses of larger birds, probably woodpeckers. No sign of tree pipit.
Had alrady gone for a short walk in the fringes of Mabie last week and seen large numbers of ringlet as well as meadow brown, common blue and small pearl bordered fritillary.
On bike ride saw probable garden warbler and possible linnet in hedges at Brow Well. Meadow brown was much in evidence between there and Caerlaverock.
Not so the following day when again the ringlet was out in force and meadow brown was just now and again. Butterfly trail not overwhelmed in spite of sunny weather but did see small numbers of common blue, small heath. Fritillaries were around but not settling for long and the one I got a good look at was a dark green as I suspect were the others, so more evidence that this species is now fairly common.
Interestingly there were no sightings of red admiral, small tortoiseshell (although one dead on road) or peacock.
Also some siskins, a close view of a willow warbler as well as some glimpses of larger birds, probably woodpeckers. No sign of tree pipit.
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| Common blue |
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| Dark green fritillary |
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