A fairly quiet week on the nature front as the autumn thermocline sets it and makes everything seem less attractive.
Wednesday's bike ride revealed nothing new but what was interesting was the number of magpies seen quite far west while heading towards Dalbeattie from Crocketford. There was a legend thathooded crows replace magpies in Dumfries and Galloway, which was always nonesense as you would need to visit Wigtownshire to have much chance of seeing them. But the magpies do seem to be gaining a foothold in areas where they were previously scarce.
Several wrens flew in front of the bike, one for several seconds providing a good close-up view. Otherwise geese and buzzards were heard but not seen, the usual array of goldfinches and chaffinches and a couple of cormorants.
Collar doves have reappeared on the garden bird table, two of them as ever, and so did a particularly foolhardy kitten from next door but one, which clambered up to find the table was bare.
Thursday, 23 October 2014
Thursday, 16 October 2014
Thursday 16th October
Longish walk on Tuesday from Cairnsmore of Fleet Visitor Centre to Loch Grannoch and back with Tony. Heavy going at first as we tried to go via the old Paddy Line from the Big Water of Fleet Viaduct, but the trackway has become considerably overgrown and we ended up going through boggy areas and rough deforested areas for the first mile or so.
Curiously, most of the birdlife was between the Centre and the viaduct area. Sighted hovering kestrel and red kite mobbed by crow on the way up and just before we parked a small brown bird of prey with white underparts flew over the moorland. Tony thought it was a merlin but somehow I wasn't convinced. There was no sign of any mottling and it appeared slender-bodied though the wing shape was about right. I don't know what else it could have been. Otherwise there were a couple of siskins near Loch Grannoch and a few stonechats near the viaduct on the way back, which was good to see after a long interval. Also saw roe deer and fox amongst the spruce plantations. Plus a solitary red admiral.
Apparently there was a pair of golden eagles nesting in the Scots Pine by the old lodge at Loch Grannoch some years ago, but they were constantly getting disturbed so the nest was removed. It may be that this was the pair now at Hawes Water. It also used to contain a good head of trout, but acid rain has decimated them and they now only appear where a couple of streams flow into the loch.
Also a bike ride from Ken Dee Marshes to Kirkudbright and back via Castle Douglas, but not much seen apart from some buzzards and goldfinches, a red kite mobbed by many crows and one on the way home that hovered over the car as if on a bombing mission. Heard another small flight of barnacles. On Monday, which was a misty day, a very large flock passed pretty much directly over the estate but could not be seen at all. Presumably flying above the cloud cover.
A coaltit visited the bird table this week, but there are no more blue tits since I pruned the silver birch where they were catching greenfly.
Curiously, most of the birdlife was between the Centre and the viaduct area. Sighted hovering kestrel and red kite mobbed by crow on the way up and just before we parked a small brown bird of prey with white underparts flew over the moorland. Tony thought it was a merlin but somehow I wasn't convinced. There was no sign of any mottling and it appeared slender-bodied though the wing shape was about right. I don't know what else it could have been. Otherwise there were a couple of siskins near Loch Grannoch and a few stonechats near the viaduct on the way back, which was good to see after a long interval. Also saw roe deer and fox amongst the spruce plantations. Plus a solitary red admiral.
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| Big Water of Fleet Viaduct |
Also a bike ride from Ken Dee Marshes to Kirkudbright and back via Castle Douglas, but not much seen apart from some buzzards and goldfinches, a red kite mobbed by many crows and one on the way home that hovered over the car as if on a bombing mission. Heard another small flight of barnacles. On Monday, which was a misty day, a very large flock passed pretty much directly over the estate but could not be seen at all. Presumably flying above the cloud cover.
A coaltit visited the bird table this week, but there are no more blue tits since I pruned the silver birch where they were catching greenfly.
Thursday, 9 October 2014
Thursday 9th October
Visited friends in Alnwick last weekend. While investigating the paltry train service from Acklington Station, I heard a sound I recognised and eventually confirmed the presence of long-tailed tits in the trees. Have not seen a long-tailed tit all summer and, on reflection, it's mainly the winter when I see them. Why should this be?
Several beach walks but no spectacular sightings of migrants, although did manage to identify a redshank between two oystercatchers - not bad for me as don't really do sea birds. Also a kestrel perched on a telegraph wire on the coastal road, the first time I've seen this for years. It used to happen all the time.
We also had difficulty identifying a tree on the outskirts of Alnwick. Consulting the book of trees on my return home, the nearest guess I could come up with was a black poplar, but I've no idea how likely that is. Must get the book of trees out more often - haven't done any tree spotting for ages.
Only one butterfly though, confirming summer is at an end. Last red admiral on the buddleia was 13th September.
Yesterday a bike ride to Caerlaverock via Heathhall and Clarencefield. Many chaffinches, a nice view of a goldfinch in flight and a couple of skeins of returning barnacles, otherwise quiet and once again not a single bird of prey.
I've been reading an old book by Douglas Watson who suggests that the bean goose used to be common in Galloway. None of my modern bird books mention it as a local species. In any case, I suspect I'd have difficulty distinguishing it from the other grey geese except for the Greenland white-fronted.
Several beach walks but no spectacular sightings of migrants, although did manage to identify a redshank between two oystercatchers - not bad for me as don't really do sea birds. Also a kestrel perched on a telegraph wire on the coastal road, the first time I've seen this for years. It used to happen all the time.
We also had difficulty identifying a tree on the outskirts of Alnwick. Consulting the book of trees on my return home, the nearest guess I could come up with was a black poplar, but I've no idea how likely that is. Must get the book of trees out more often - haven't done any tree spotting for ages.
Only one butterfly though, confirming summer is at an end. Last red admiral on the buddleia was 13th September.
Yesterday a bike ride to Caerlaverock via Heathhall and Clarencefield. Many chaffinches, a nice view of a goldfinch in flight and a couple of skeins of returning barnacles, otherwise quiet and once again not a single bird of prey.
I've been reading an old book by Douglas Watson who suggests that the bean goose used to be common in Galloway. None of my modern bird books mention it as a local species. In any case, I suspect I'd have difficulty distinguishing it from the other grey geese except for the Greenland white-fronted.
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