Friday 5th May

The advantages of early rising were shown this Monday when I opened the curtains at 6.30 a.m. to

This really is common mallow!

see two goldfinches shredding the dandelion seeds right in the gutter opposite my house. Not something likely to happen later in the day.

Ironically in view of my false identification of honesty as common mallow last week, the latest pink flower I noticed was - yes, you've guessed it - common mallow.  It was growing out of a crack on the street just a few yards from the local shop, also on Monday.  Monday was the 29th April, so arguably a little early.

Since then the temperatures have risen in spite of a steady easterly breeze, and for a couple of weeks now no noticeable rain to freshen up the gardens.  By Wednesday I was confident that there would be butterflies around as I set off for Moniaive in bright sunshine.

I decided to go past Newtonairds to see if the spotted flycatchers had returned to the garden there but apparently they arrive at the end of the month and don't nest there until June.  On the way I took a photo to confirm a line of trees were common limes as the leaves looked  rather pale. About 11.00 a.m. I stopped for a snack on the small bridge over the Cairn where the road to Dunscore starts to rise.  By this time it was warming up and a small white and an orange tip fluttered among the trees on the far bank.

Peacock

There was also a single goosander on the river and a dipper, making a very good imitation of a rock with a bright patch on it as it was not dipping at all.

Throughout the day butterflies turned up at fairly regular intervals.  I kept a count and it totalled 12+ small whites, five orange tips and four peacocks, disregarding the ones that flashed by too fast to be properly identified. This peacock (see photo left) was obviously one that had overwintered and looked a bit scruffier than the ones I saw at the end of March.  There were thousands of dandelions around and only one peacock that chose to land on them but it does look like it was feeding rather than just warming up.

Later on I saw a female nuthatch near the river and caught glimpses of a few swallows, pipits and other familiar species, plus a couple of birds that might just have been redpolls.  Apart from one bird flying through a woodland clearing that was probably a buzzard, the skies were entirely free of birds of prey - surprising in view of the wind and the warmth.

Friday 28th April

Sometimes I wonder if I should rename this blog "Nature and Cycling" since all my trips out now seem to be cycling trips. In particular, I haven't been out fishing for a year and a half. Incidentally I forgot to say I saw a hare last Wednesday, lying in a field.

Anyhow, this Wednesday's run was pretty much the opposite to last week's in that the weather started out fair but didn't last. On the way out I was pleased to see that the sand martins are back and busy on the Nith just downstream from the cycle bridge.  It looked to me almost as if they were already feeding young though more likely they were lining the nests or some similar activity.

Sand Martins - nesting area

It was also pleasing to see a single lapwing playing over a farm field between Shawhead and Crocketford, not normally an area in which I expect to see other than common birds.

At Bridge of Urr, I continued my interest in the developing flowers and was struck by a purple flower next to the wall on the way out of the village.  Again, after consulting the Book of Flowers, I'm not sure what it is - common mallow perhaps?

Common Mallow?

Before setting out I had wondered what would be the likeliest: to see or hear a cuckoo or to see two butterflies.  I deliberately rode back through the Glenkilns, which has in the past been a regular home to cuckoos, but, in increasingly overcast weather, there wasn't the least sign of any cuckoo. However I did catch two brief sightings of male wheatears in flight, the first of the season, and so was happy to settle for that.

Once over the hill there was a buzzard and red kite taking stock of each other in the sky, some nice goldfinches, and right on the edge of Dumfries, literally adjacent to the first houses, a skylark could clearly be heard.

And then, going back along the cycle track in a last burst of hazy sunshine, there was a single small white butterfly - just like last week.