Tuesday 29th December

On Sunday in post-Christmas recovery mode, went for longish bike ride from Lochmaben to Sibbaldbie, but saw basically nothing.  In any case I left the binoculars at home so wouldn't have been able to identify much.

Just on the way back into Lochmaben at the very end of the ride, there was a very large flock of geese that had settled on a farm field. With the naked eye, I reckoned they were greylag geese but they were too far off to identify positively or check for interlopers with out the glasses.

On Monday I had a rather better day walking along the paddy line westwards from Mossvale.  There was a jay clearly visible from the car on the back road to Laurieston, and the inevitable flotation of red kites, holding steady in the considerable wind.  I got a close-up view of one of them hovering just by the village as the walk got underway.

Long-tailed tit

I found a new path from the old railway that led down to the Black Water of Dee, always one of my favourite-looking small rivers. In the railway cutting beyond the bridge, a volley of long-tailed tits were working their way through the trees and I was able to follow them for a hundred yards or so, trying to take photos as they became slightly less tame. Also spotted a treecreeper at one point.

But the real purpose of the visit was to suss out the moorland at the end of Loch Stroan for any birds of prey, in particular hen harriers, as this is where Tony reckons he regularly sees them.  I found myself a nice perch on a collapsing drystone dyke and hung around for a while, but the sum total of widelife observed was a solitary meadow pipit and a skulking roe deer. I don't nkow if it's something I've been doing wrong, but this area hasn't proved productive for birds of prey over a number of visits. At times I have the distinct impression there is less wildlife around than there used to be.

Although I continued the walk back past Mossvale Loch, nothing more was sighted. Dropped in briefly at Kingholm Park as a short-eared owl has been seen there.

Black Water of Dee

Another view

Wednesday 16th December

I'm enjoying this time more than usual but it's still a bit depressing to see how little decent daylight we are getting - a maximum of around four hours here. No wonder primitive man thought the world was coming to an end.

Went out for an experimental walk yesterday in the area of Barwhillanty Forest and Loch Roan, experimental in the sense I had no idea how attractive the area would be in any respect. Initial impressions in terms of wildlife would have confirmed the notion that the world is coming to an end as nothing was around for the first 45 minutes at all.  In terms of scenery, it was however an extremely attractive stretch of mixed wood and moorland and profoundly still.  I would imagine it to be a beautiful area in the summer and the numerous ponds would probably mean lots of dragonfly and insect activity.

Loch Roan

After nearly an hour I did manage to see a couple of pairs of bullfinches - or possibly the same pair twice about half a mile apart.  They seemed almost to be unwisely limbering up for the mating season, perhaps a reflection of the ongoing mild temperatures that have produced only one frost to date.

Apart from that there were only a few coal tits in the conifers and a couple ofwrens muttering in the undergrowth.

On the way back from Loch Roan (private fishing only) as dusk approached, things did liven up a little.  A reluctant buzzard shuffled around the trees, and half a dozen pipits emerged from the rushes to circle around a bit overhead as if irritated by my presence.  Just I was reflecting that I hadn't seen a single crow or gull all day, a crow wandered lazily across the skyline as the car came into view.  The last bird I saw was a single dunnock.

Tuesday 8th December

Appalling weather recently so not likely to get out tomorrow, though I do have a little alternative plan if it brightens later in the week.

Last Wednesday arrived at Bogle Bridge to cycle to Kirkcudbright to catch a rear view of a large hawk about 20 yards ahead of me. It proved to be a red kite and two of them hovered over the road for several minutes in the strong breeze.

The ride itself was pretty much an endurance test but did stop by the moor on the way back to Gelston, just to check if the birds gathering in a nearby tree were indeed starlings.  In the binoculars, it was apparent that some of them at least were redwings.

Tuesday 1st December

Oh dear! New volutary work responsibilities mean I've had a busy fortnight and little time to report on nature events. Not sure if I'll get out anywhere tomorrow so best to catch up now.

Finally I did manage to see some redwings in a field South of Bogrie Moor last Wednesday.  Some were actually sitting nicely in a tree right by the roadside but understandably took fright as I approached in my fluorescent yellow cycling jacket. There must have been about 50 in the field but too far away to get a decent photo on my camera.

Spent a lot of the ride to Dalry trying to keep pace with a member of Dumfries Cycling Club, but did get a good few of some hovering kites on the Crocketford Road a bit before Bogle Bridge. Some long-tailed tits were passing through the trees at some point but I really can't remember when. I did see a good few more today though, when picking up some shopping at the local Halford's.

Spot the parakeet
Dificulty level = moderate

The week before the Brussels attacks I was there, visiting the European Parliament with Amnesty Scotland This was not a very nature-friendly environment but I did manage to sneak off to the Jubelpark to see if the ring-necked parakeets were still as much in evidence as on my last visit 18 months ago.

As soon as I entered the park a familiar screeching sound proved my odds-on suspicion to be correct and they were all over the place, though much more easily heard than seen as I discovered when trying to get this picture (left).

There has been at least one sighting of a ring-necked parakeet in Dumfries and Galloway, with some discussion as to whether they are a welcome arrival or not. Personally I like them.

Previously I think I may have referred to them erroneously as green parakeet.

Saturday14th November

The weather is worsening. Another cycle ride in the Thornhill area was largely an exercise in dodging floods and debris as the weather has been very wet and remained so eight miles North of Dumfries in
either direction As a result there was nothing to report beyond one or two glimpses of the usual finch suspects and a greater spotted woodpecker on someone's feeder. Not a single bird of prey to be seen.

Droids in Nithsdale?

There was however one unusual sighting as it appears that the village of Park hes been invaded by a patrol of extra-terrestrial farming droids, who seemed much happier with the prevailing conditions than I was.

Today on the way back from the Chemist's there were half a dozen long-tailed tits and a couple of male greenfinches in the young trees on the far side of the road, which was heartening after long absences in either case.  It goes to show you don't always have to go a long way to see something interesting.

I had hoped there would still be a few butterflies around in view of the warm temperatures but there has been no sun.  The last one I saw was a red admiral in the garden on 2nd November.

Sunday 8th November

During a fairly busy week managed to slot in a bike ride from Ae village up to Durisdeer and back via Thornhill and Auldgirth. Unfortunately there was consistent mist and a lot of mizzle so there was no need for my polaroid clip-ons, which of course I had with me precisely when they were of no use
whatsoever.

Reception Committee

There were some notable gatherings of chaffinches, gradually building into their flocks for the winter when they will be seen in considerable numbers. Up on the moors there were a few pipits about but nothing more when I paused at the summit, apart from the obvious disapproval of the members of the local Conservative Club who do not like intruders. After that I paused briefly at Morton Pond, wondering what the fishing is like these days. Overall lots of green vegetation still, but lots of mud on road and bike.

On the way back there was a strange occurence when I disturbed a brownish bird in the hedgerow.  It made to fly in front of the bike but realised it hadn't the time. Quick as a flash it doubled back and dived straight through the front and back wheels right underneath my feet as they pedalled along at around 12 mph. Understandably there is no photographic evidence and I doubt if anything like it will ever happen again. I think it was a sparrow.

Also just managing to evade the camera was a male blackcap that briefly turned up in the low trees at the back of my neighbour's garden. That one must have been lost as well as late, I thought. However it seems that Blackcaps are starting to overwinter in the UK, so who knows.

Monday 2nd November

Yesterday took advantage of some dry if overcast and misty weather to cycle down past Caerlaverock and the Nith estuary.  I was looking for egrets or hopefully a salmon going over the caul in Dumfries, but saw neither. It's a pity about the salmon.  After thirty years plus living in the town, I still haven't seen them leap the caul.  I've seen them resting further upstream and splashing around waiting for the chance to go up, but haven't seem them jump.  It's possibly too late this year and maybe altogether.  I may not be here next year at this time.

One the way down to Caerlaverock there was a goldcrest playing in one of the roadside trees though I never got to see the head stripe in the dull light. At the estuary there was the statutory flock of barnacle geese, proving you don't have to go to a reserve to see them. I also saw a few curlew and lapwing wading at low tide.

Distant Barnacle Geese

Then I saw some much larger waders with the curlew-shaped beak, which puzzled a bit as they could have been nothing else but curlew. The beak shape was unmistakeable so I suppose it's possible the first couple were whimbrel. That would seem a bit unlikely as they are only passage birds but it is the right time of year.

The usual goosanders were busy fishing at the caul.

Once home there was a red admiral flying over the patio. More remarkable was what made it's way into the house on the cat's back on Friday.  This fellow (below) is definitely the smallest garden snail I've ever seen. I assume that all baby snails start off that small!

Snail