After reporting that trips out were drying up, a break in the weather made a run out possible. I decided on a rather ambitious uphill bike ride from Lochmaben to Eskdalemuir, hoping perhaps to see one or two interesting things in the forests and moors. In the end I turned back just a mile or two after passing Castle O'er Forest.
In fact all was very quiet up on the moors apart from one red deer crossing the road, but I did spot one or two things on lower ground. While driving to Lochmaben, there was a fluffy looking young buzzard perched very low on a beech hedge, so that I wondered if it was in some distress.
Just past Sibbaldbie, there was a sheep with a magpie on its back and I was just thinking of attempting a photo when a cyclist came from the other direction and scared the magpie away. It turned out my camera battery was completely flat anyway!
On the way back beside the Dryfe Water, bullfinches were about on three occasions and I was pleased to identify the white rump of the first one, which was a rather undersize female.
Right at the end of the trip between Fishbeck and Millhousebridge, a flock of birds flew from the trees and made for the field and as suspected turned out to be the first fieldfares I have seen this winter, though they have been about for several weeks. I soured the field carefully for redwing but could not see any.
There were more just north of Lochmaben an hour before dusk plus one bird that must have been a redwing, though it had so much red and brown around the area of its upper body and head, it looked more like a snipe without the beak or even an out-of season nightjar - but I think we have to put it down to a trick of the light.
No comments:
Post a Comment