|
A Backward Spring The trees are afraid to put forth
buds,
|
 |
| Our
Expeditions |
Archive |
17th March Stevenson, Saltcoats and Irvine Harbour It was “business as usual” on Sunday. I was fit enough to drive and the weather was to brighten from the west, so after picking up John for the first time in nearly a month, we headed for the North Ayrshire coast. Things were going well until just before we reached the M77 when a low tyre pressure warning came up on my dashboard. We had to replace the offending wheel with the spare before we could continue the journey. However off we went onto the coast, specifically, Stevenson Morrisons for you know what - yes, our first Sunday breakfast in nearly a month. Appropriately enough it was a great breakfast that was very difficult to mark down so we gave it 10/10. A short drive then took us to Stevenson point. Sadly there wasn’t much to see there, only a Cormorant on the rocks and some Oystercatchers on the short grass. I quickly decided to move on to Saltcoats Harbour where we were immediately greeted by a wee Rock Pipit on the sea wall. The tide was going out and we could see a Dunlin picking its way through the exposed seaweed.
At first unseen because of their camouflage,Turnstones became visible as they too moved across the weed, searching for insects, crustaceans and molluscs. Close by, a first winter Herring Gull was dabbling in shallow water, but not catching much. We walked out along the harbour and John spied a pair of Eider. The drake, resplendent in his fine black and cream plumage, was trailing behind the female who might just have been trying to outrun him.
The view over to Arran was very impressive. A CalMac ferry (also see below) was making its way across the Clyde Estuary toward Brodick nestled below the snow-covered slopes of Goat Fell.
Around the harbour, the wind was quite blustery. We saw only a few diving Shag, some Feral Pigeons on the walls and a couple of Redshanks in exposed rocks. We looked in vain for Purple Sandpipers , as we had seen them there over the years. They only winter in the UK before moving to breed in Iceland and Scandinavia, so perhaps they had already moved there.
We next walked around to the north side of the harbour. Unfortunately the skies became overcast, but I carried on photographing nonetheless. The paddling pool was busy with the usual suspects, amongst which were various ages of Herring Gulls and Black-headed Gulls. I stalked a wee Rock Pipit as it galloped along the edge of a flower bed. I also snapped some bonny Starlings as they poked around in the seaweed (also see “Pictures of the Week”, below).
A 2nd winter Herring Gull caught my eye (also see “Pictures of the Week”, below). A large Great Black-backed Gull glided threateningly over the pool, but the smaller gulls were having none of it, as they chased it from the area. The main occupants of the pool were a couple of dozen Mute Swans. Occasionally some passers by stopped to feed them bread - much to the excitement of the Gulls. I caught a fleeting shot of a male Pied Wagtail - our final shot at Saltcoats, as we decided to moved south to Irvine Harbour.
We arrived at Irvine Harbour just as the sun broke through the clouds. Immediately I saw a few Grey Seals about 200m on the River Garnock just before it joins the River Irvine. The photo is not clear (due to the distance) but I think there may be a Seal pup on the rightmost Seal. A bit closer to the car park John spotted a flock of Wigeon just where the two rivers meet. They took off and flew overhead (to my shame, I missed that photo-opportunity due to my monopod setup). We followed the estuary past the Bridge of Scottish Invention that leads to the unused Big Idea Science Exhibition Centre . Below the bridge a pair of Eider were paddling upstream. The drake gave a wee flap of his wings to show the female he was well up for it.
A bit further downstream a fine-looking Carrion Crow was foraging on a straw-strewn riverbank. On the quay above the Crow a pair of adult Herring Gulls were basking in the sun (also see “Pictures of the Week”, below). On the opposite bank a lone Curlew was working its way along the water’s edge. It seemed to be aware we were looking at it as it scurried behind a rock and out of sight. We continued out onto the viewpoint at the mouth of the river from where I took a panorama shot looking back upstream (see below). On our way back to the car I heard the familiar sound of a huge Goose flock, although when I looked ahead all I could see were a sizeable gathering of Gulsl above some feeders. As we walked on further though I did see the flock of what I think were Greylags - around at least a couple of hundred rising above the Bogside Flats SSSI .
Below is the view East from the viewpoint at the mouth of the Irvine/Garnock Estuary. Notice, on the right the former Harbour Pilot House .
We ended the visit in our usual way by consuming delicious chocolate eclairs and tea. It had been an enjoyable few hours, mostly in sunny weather and although there were few surprises I managed to accumulate an engaging set of photographs. After a four-week period of recuperation I am pleased with that accomplishment and I look forward to the next trip. Pictures of the Week:
9th March Hogganfield Loch, Glasgow With my mobility still being somewhat curtailed by an injured arm I was limited to a quick Saturday visit to a sunny Hogganfield Loch LNR in the east end of Glasgow. My first capture was of a line of Black-headed Gulls awaiting the next person carrying a plastic bag, when they will form an noisy aerial mob as each bird competes for each morsel of bread. I’m sure though that those kind people are frustrated that the persistent aerial raids of the Gulls always manage to steal much of the bread intended for the more popular Swans.
On the water, a Moorhen was checking out the skies, for what I don’t know. A couple of quarrelsome drake Goldeneyes were diving for food. Their diet includes insects, crustaceans, molluscs and fish eggs and aquatic plants. A large Coot was preening on the water’s edge. Not far away on the bank a large patch of Coltsfoot was blooming in the winter sunshine.
The water birds were brilliantly illuminated by the fine Winter sunshine, providing ideal conditions for photography. I took portraits of some Swans to highlight the obvious differences between Mute and Whoopers. My eye was then caught by an unusual feral pigeon. It is interesting to realise that these birds are descended from the Rock Dove that was effectively domesticated as Neolithic man turned to agriculture around 10,000 years ago. A big Tufted Duck cruised past before vanishing beneath the water, re-emerging seconds later with a slight damper-looking tuft (see “Pictures of the Week”, below).
There was a significant number of Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the Loch. The adults have a dark grey back and yellow legs. The immature birds are a bit more difficult to identify. The one shown below is entering its second year where the first bits of adult plumage starts to show, and the 1st year black beak becomes more yellow. Feeders emerged from their car as I was photographing the gulls. As mentioned above, the birds respond to the mere sight of a plastic bag by crowding the shore awaiting what is usually bread (although too much bread is not good for them). At the front of the resulting feeding melee were the Swans, Whoopers as well as Mutes, packed tightly against bank, their eyes tightly focused on the plastic bags.
Unusually, a large Grey Heron flew fairly close to the car park, chased by some Carrion Crows. There is a Heronry on the woods at the east end of the island. They are mainly carnivorous and will take small birds, so the Crows were probably defending their territory as they too nest in those trees. I continued my exploitation of the feeding photo-opportunity by snapping some Black-headed Gulls in flight (also see “Pictures of the Week”, below), of which there were many! When the bread supplies were finished there was still some flapping of wings as Mute Swans arrived too late for their lunch and for others, there was preening to be done.
I next set off on a quick circuit of the Loch and soon spotted a Cormorant in its breeding plumage perched in the middle of the Loch. It was defending its position from marauding Gulls who fancied the perch for themselves. Roosting behind one of the many artificial islands anchored in many parts of the Loch, I spotted a pair of roosting Great Crested Grebes . Hogganfield is a great place to study these Grebes as there are usually at least a couple of pairs that breed successfully - so I’m already looking forward to photographing their offspring. The chirps of a pair of Pied Wagtails then drew my attention. They were scouring the water’s edge seeking invertebrates. The male seemed to be calling the shots as every so often it would take flight with a flourish of chirps to be followed almost immediately by the female.
As I snapped the Wagtails, a handsome Lesser Black-backed Gull descended onto the Loch (also see “Pictures of the Week”, below). It added to the flock already numbering in the dozens. Just what they were up to I’m not sure. Perhaps they were new arrivals. When I reached the East side of the island I was surprised to see even more Mute Swans in the lee side of the island, most of them preening contentedly on the artificial islands.
A Lesser Black-backed Gull was making a lot of noise after a short disagreement with a juvenile. I then spotted, 50m beyond the island, another pair of Great Crested Grebes. They were trying to get on with their fascinating mating ritual, only to be interrupted, annoyingly, by a noisy bin lorry circulating the park paths. My next capture was of a Blue Tit that was busy foraging in path-side trees for insects on the branches above the heads of scores of unsuspecting walkers. Another sign of the imminent arrival of Spring was the heart-warming sight of hordes of Daffodils in bloom.
As I rounded the path to the North side of the Loch, one of the Great Crested Grebes unexpectedly appeared from under the surface only 10m away (see “Pictures of the Week”, below). With my car in sight I was pleased to see a pair of Greylags loitering close to the bank, pleased as I had seen them earlier when the light was not quite so good. A demure female Mallard looked at me, checking for food, but I was rather more interested in a beautiful pair of Goosanders. They too were in fine breeding plumage, ready for the emergence of Spring.
My visit had only lasted an hour but in that time I had taken a pleasing number of nice shots. Hogganfield is an unusual Local Nature Reserve (LNR) as it is in every other way just a very well used public park. That the birds and people manage to successfully cohabit the Park is good to see and a tribute to the efforts of Glasgow City Council. Pictures of the Week:
3rd March RSPB Baron’s Haugh and Dalzell Estate, Motherwell I ventured out on my own on Sunday on a short visit to RSPB Baron’s Haugh, Motherwell, my local nature reserve, to see if my injured arm was up to it. The weather was sunny but a bit cold. So well-wrapped and camera and monopod at the ready I plodded out of the car park and delved firstly into the neighbouring Dalzell Estate in search of nice pictures. As I passed along wooded paths I could hear shuffling in the branches above my head. It was a pair of Grey Squirrels searching for food. These cute creatures are much-maligned in certain quarters, rightly or wrongly, but they photograph well (see also ,”Pictures of the Week”, below). The woods of the Estate are often filled with a rich variety of bird life but I was struggling to find them. The ripening cones of a huge Cypress tree caught my eye as did the Old Man’s Beard Lichen (Usnea) draped on the young Silver Birch trees. Eventually I came upon a little Blue Tit busily searching for food on the twigs and branches.
In an area close to Dalzell House I came across, Wordsworth-like, a host of golden daffodils, and Crocuses. They weren’t wild of course, but they were lovely. Still struggling to spot any birds I was delighted when a few Jackdaws passed overhead and then I snapped a wee Coal Tit amongst the coppices. (see also ,”Pictures of the Week”, below).
I last visited the Dalzell Estate on a Thursday morning a month ago and managed to see Nuthatches, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Song and Mistle Thrushes. I wasn’t so lucky on Sunday. The weather was similar but perhaps the increased number of weekend walkers (and their dogs) had made the birds pull back..
I next left the Estate into the RSPB Baron’s Haugh Reserve and passed along the Chestnut Walk (see map) to the River Clyde. Looking south I saw some Goosanders about 100m upstream. I walked north scanning the river as I walked, as I’d been tipped off that there were geese on the opposite bank. Sure enough I located about 20 Canada Geese and a pair of Greylag Geese. Close by I also snapped a pair of Mute Swans at the near bank. Annoyingly, these pictures were all taken “contre-jour”, as the sun was shining directly behind the birds.
As I walked I came across the first, of what will be many, sightings of a flower that heralds the arrival of Spring, a Lesser Celandine . It was a favourite flower of the Victorian Lakeland poet, William Wordsworth, who wrote several poems expressing his admiration of the pretty yellow flowers. Another yellow bloom that has been ever-present, even throughout the Winter, has been the Gorse flower of which there are many lining the paths of the reserve. I was also delighted to see quite a few tiny Barren Strawberry flowers below the west-facing bushes. The final flower I saw by the Clyde was an early-flowering Dandelion. Another sign of a very mild winter.
Eventually I reached the Centenary Hide from which I got a lovely sunlit view of a flock of around a dozen Curlews about 100m out from the hide.
I also noticed a Lesser Black-backed Gull, with its charcoal grey back and yellow legs. after a quick rest I next headed further round the course of the river to the Phoenix Hide. I paused briefly at a bench by a bend in the river to observe a pair of Buzzards doing aerobatics, probably part of a courtship display. On a shingle bank on the river a few Mallards were resting just opposite the Phoenix Hide ( so-named, apparently, since it rose from the ashes of the original wood-built hide that was torched by vandals). Just below the hide I could see a pair of Little Grebes diving for small fish. These are also known as Dabchicks (see also ,”Pictures of the Week”, below).
Near the Dabchicks, a Coot was chewing on pondweed, but little else was showing around the hide. I could see across the Haugh to the Causeway Hide. There were birds on the water around that hide, so I walked round to check them out. On the way, some Carrion Crows were perching high on trees that line the fields east of the Haugh. As I arrived they had been scouring the field for invertebrates and they moved back down off the trees when I’d passed. From the Causeway Hide I took some pictures of some feeding Teal. I also photographed a solitary Herring Gull that had been making a fuss about something or other.
I soon moved to the Marsh Hide but was disappointed to find it devoid of birds. I did though capture some nice shots of Reed Mace and Goat Willow catkins . I finally trudged up the hill back to the car park. My last captures of the visit were of a Magpie in flight over a field and of a Robin singing on a shadowy hedgerow at the entrance to the car park.
A view of Baron’s Haugh, looking west:
I think you can see from the pictures I’ve gathered that my injury has not held me back too much. So I’m looking forward to next weekend, although the weather prediction doesn’t make nice reading. Pictures of the Week:
|
