Wednesday's bike ride was to Thornhill and the approach to Portrack seemed promising. A lot of singing was heard from the trees,a flock of goldfinches flew high over the trees and a small volley of yellowhammer passed over the hedgerow. There was also a slightly mottled bird with some tail decoreation that didn't look spotty enough anyway to be a redwing or a fieldfare. I wondered about golden plover as I got the binoculars out just before it made off, but didn't convince myself.
After that there was just a heron standing in a farmer's field (why do they do that?) and a fleeting buzzard. However, I did get a puncture and after that was more concerned with getting home in a sensible time than anything else.
On Friday I finally got round to my first attempt at flyfishing at
Alderneuk Fishery but typically, the sport went off during the day while I slowly learned the art of casting a fly line. In spite of a lot of water-whipping I didn't get anything in my net until I packed up (see below).
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| 5 lb Catfish? |
Today has been considerably warmer and the fish have been belting frenetically round the pond in the garden. This seems to be a futile attempt at mating activity. Also got out for a quick walk around Crichton Gardens listening for chiffchaffs, but no luck.
P.s. I forgot to add that last Monday (7th March) I saw my first butterfly of 2016, parading past the window of a friend's living room. It was a red admiral.
