Saturday 25th April

The latest bike ride - since bike rides is mainly what I seem to do these days - was a trip to Palnackie via Milton, Kirkgunzeon, Falgunzeon and the B road from near Caulkerbush on through Dalbeattie, and was notable for some first encounters with summer visitors.

Kirkgunzeon Lane

The first of all was at Lochfoot, where a single house martin balanced on a telegraph wire.  Just afterwards I stopped to investigate some shapes jutting out of the water near an island in Lochrutton Loch, which proved to be a row of cormorants waiting for small fry.

On the run down to Kirkgunzeon it was nice to see a few yellowhammers, still frequent in that area amd a number of meadow pipits.  I always think Kirkgunzeon is an attractive spot amd stopped by the river bridge to notice my first willow warbler of the season in a bankside tree.  Last year there were trout to be seen but none today and the river was still flowing quite fast. Orange tip butterflies were already on the wing on the 'B' road and goldfinches were around again too.

On a fairly direct route back, just two newly-arrived swallows were sitting on the telegraph wires in Shawhead.

Spot the Willow Tit
Difficulty level: easy

Seals On The Nith

Following the discussion about the possibility or otherwise of a seal being sighted in the Nith after my most recent post, there is now conclusive proof in the form of a photo taken by a chap called Keith Gallie. This clearly shows a seal and the bottom of the caul in the centre of Dumfries in the background.

Thanks to Rohan Kleem, wicketkeeper-batsman of Sydney Australia, for finding this conclusive evidence!

Skunk Cabbage

Meanwhile I have been slow to update my latest activities, which anyway have been restricted to one bike ride to Crocketford last Wednesday, when not much was noticed. In fact the most remarkable nature sighting was a display of skunk cabbage a mile or so north of Crocketford. I must have cycled and driven past this spot many times without ever noticing it before. Apparently it is an import which doesn't grow naturally.

Otherwise there were a couple of great-crested grebes on Lochrutton.  For a time I thought they were going to go into display mode, but in the end they contented themselves with whingeing at each other as lovers do.  But there weren't even any goldfinches at Lochfoot and every virtually woodland bird sighted turned out to be a chaffinch.  Did get a couple of good close-up views of pipits over the Glenkilns, but there wasn no black swan on the reservoir.

Other notable non-sightings were wheatear, swallow and stonechat. And of course skylark.

Meanwhile white wagtails have been spotted on the coast, so must keep an eye out for them.  I did wonder about a rather pale-looking wagtail I saw a couple of weeks ago but thought no more of it.

Friday 10th April

Last night went to the cinema, so not a planned nature trip at all.

You can't see the otter - it's under the water

On the way out happened to notice that the Devorgilla Bridge was looking quite picturesque ans decided to attempt a photo.  As I made ready there was quite a large splash just by the near upstream bank - I assumed it was a decent-sized trout.

Walking further up the bank, I noticed two further spashes, after which an otter poked it's head above the surface and swam along for a bit, just allowing a view of it's white front.

This isn't by any means the first time otters have appeareared in the Nith in Dumfries. One of the more amusing times was when an Australian lad, over here to play cricket, was out fishing in the river and reported that he had seen a seal!

Today went to pick up new trekking bike from Castle Douglas.  Riding it home my thoughts were mainly devoted towards testing its speed and climbing ability, but still found time to spot a couple of red kites and a song thrush.

Thursday 9th April

In lovely sunshine, set off yesterday for an intentionally leisurely bike ride via Kilnford,  Lochfoot, Beeswing and New Abbey with no particular idea in mind beyond the almost certainty of seeing some goldfinches at the Lochfoot roundabout.

I did but only after already seeing half a dozen along the Cycleway as the morning was alive with tits and finches.  One chaffinch almost flew into my face just before turning onto the Edinburgh Road.

Loch Arthur

A bigger surprise came when, just after turning left for Lochfoot, a roe deer shambled away from the road only a few seconds after a noisy JCB had passed in the opposite direction.  Pausing by Lochrutton, a cormorant flew in at speed and bellyflopped into the shallows before diving and not reappearing.

There were yet more invisible skylarks on the way to Beeswing and a pair each of great crested crebes and tufted ducks on Loch Arthur, some pipits on the scenic road between Kinharvie and New Abbey, as well as a number of small tortoiseshells on the homeward trip via Kirkconnel Flow.

No birds of prey today, just a couple of buzzards calling near Loch Arthur.

Tuesday 7th April

Last foray this Easter was a woodland and hill walk from Langholm - something I've meant to do for a couple of years or so.

On the way out past the sports fields, signs were promising with a good deal of birdsong.  The woodland area itself is clearly long-established though and the birds I was hearing were some fifty feet above my head and pretty difficult to spot.  There was a massive pheasant enclosure on the way so I saw easily the largest amounts of pheasants I have ever managed in one go - maybe a thousand immature birds I reckon plus a couple of escapees, not that I was counting.

Did manage a quick sighting of a treecreeper in a windfall area, which was the first for some time but it was with a sense of disappointment that I turned off the path up towards Potholm Hill.  This sense was somewhat increased when I saw how steep it is! The climb was in fact rewarding as there were several meadow pipits active in the near vicinity.  And I also managed to see a couple of the many skylarks heard singing and as ever proving difficult to sight.  It was quite fun to distinguish them from the pipits, which were also indulging in dive-bombing the moor.  Also saw another kestrel hovering for prey just as on my last two bike trips.

I would not have selected the summit of Potholm Hill for my first butterfly sighting of summertime, but sure enough a couple of small tortoiseshells emerged in the temporary sunlight, one of which kindly posed (see photos below).  After that I got a bit lost on the way down from Castle Hill and ended up going through some rough and swampy ground which put an end to nature-spotting activities, apart from one young and alarmed hare that obviously thought I was after it.

I did not see any other birds of prey in the relatively still conditions, or any wheatear in spite of their known arrival further West.  One bird I had expected to see was the stonechat, not for the first time reflecting that they seem to have become much scarcer.  I used to see them regulalry.

Potholm Hill

Spot The Pipit

Summer's First Butterfly

Sunday 5th April

An early Easter.  Yesterday I took advantage of reasonable weather to do a longish bike ride via Ae, Lochmaben, Dalton, Clarencefield, Bankend.

Heard a chiffchaff before leaving the estate and a woodpecker on the Caledonian Cycleway.  I'd just begun to think it would be one of those "heard loads, saw nothing days" when I got a nice view of a male greenfinch just above my head.  Mybe they are staging a comeback. This was shortly followed by a chiffchaff sighting in the same stretch of trees, probably a first year bird as it hadn't quite learnt the words properly.

After a couple of thrushes, a long-tailed tit and a hare en route, there was quite a bit of life on Amisfield Moor.  Three of four young buzzards were confronting each other in a row of trees (pictured below) and then a pair of curlews flew over widely and, presumably mating, serenaded each other with various winsome calls.  Also sighted on the moor were meadow pipit (briefly), reed bunting and wagtails.  But in spite of at least half a dozen calling there and at different parts of the ride, I still did not managed to catch sight of a skylark.  Perhaps my long-range vision is failing.

Amisfield Moor

After Ae the sun more or less disappeared and there was generally less to see.  A pair of hares nearby decided not to pose for the camera and the feeders at Castle Loch are no longer being stocked.  But between Brow Well and Bankend, there was one kestrel hovering over the hedgerow for voles, just like they used to do.

I still haven't seen the first butterfly of the season, which has remained cool.  This was confirmed by a quick trip to Brooms today, where there was very little sign of fish activity beyond smaller stuff.