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A buzzard calls while winding gentle spirals in the sky, a dynamo, inducing fear and panic in its prey below. Should mouse or vole forget how easily their moves are
seen, by microscopic eyes that lead the hungry talons down, then it may disappear, becoming nestlings’ vital food, their hungry orphans left abandoned in the field. James McLeod Campbell |
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August 12th 2018: The weather forecast was very poor
- the whole of Central Scotland was to be cloaked in a gloomy sheet of
slow-moving rain. But in the south-west the rain was to clear by late
afternoon, which offered us a glimpse of opportunity for some nature
photography. We headed down the M77 towards Ayr, making our customary
pit stop in Kilmarnock ASDA for breakfast (7/10 - duff toast and cold
cafe), but as we approached the turn-off for Prestwick, the rain had
stopped and we decided to settle for nearby Troon. We parked in the South Beach car
park and walked towards Meikle Crags and in the far distance we could
see Ayr. First up, a pair of Jackdaws pecking at something or other on
the seaweed-strewn foreshore. I spotted some small waders ahead of us.
For once, a dog walker helped us out as his best friend put up the
birds, who then flew past us. I shot multiple exposures from which I
could see they were mainly Dunlin with a few Ringed Plovers. I could no
longer see Ayr as it had been shrouded in rain advancing from the
south. We turned tail and made for the car. On the way I snapped a
Carrion Crow as it foraging on the stinking seaweed.
We relocated to the Harbour car
park, by which time the rain arrived. As we waited for it to pass, a
reproduction Viking boat sailed past. I Googled “Viking longboat Troon”
but ended up none-the-wiser as to what it was doing there. From the
picture it seems well kitted out with engine, radar, aerial and cabins
so it may not be local, and could have been just making its way around
the coast. From inside the car I photographed the Vikings as well as a
drookit Cormorant that seemed right at home in the rain. On the grass,
by the car, a very damp Starling was raking through litter for any
tit-bits it could find. Meantime, a small, twin-hulled boat had
appeared offshore. It had what looked like four divers onboard. After
watching it for some time John thought they were laying marker buoys,
for what, I don’t know.
Three adult
Herring Gulls parked themselves on the grass beside a car whose
occupants were devouring fish suppers. The gulls were very vocal, but
unsuccessful in the efforts, as the greedy humans ate the lot. The rain
stopped about an hour before we were due to leave so we got out the car
and walked north towards the Harbour wall. Oystercatchers on the rocks
had their beaks under wings as they rested at high tide. A few small
waders scurried ahead of us. They were Ringed Plover and Turnstones, but they fled before I could
capture their images. On the wall there were a few Shags, but little else.
On and around the pebbly beach
below the sea wall there were several species of wildflower still in
bloom. Prettiest of these was a patch of Pencilled Cranesbill, a type
of Geranium. Possibly a garden escapee, it’s flowers were attractively
covered in pearls of water. Next I noticed the yellow crucifer, Sea
Radish. It had only a few flowers as most had gone, leaving swelled,
seed-rich ovaries. Clinging to the wall, a Silverweed plant, sometimes
mistaken for a buttercup, still had its distinctive yellow flower.
There were a few patches of Common Ragwort growing at the base of the
wall. The beauty of the nice, wee yellow flowers belie the fact that
all parts of the plant are poisonous to mammals, including us, if eaten.
Another wildflower in the running for the prettiest bloom was the Common
Bindweed. Even in the low light it was beautiful. Less attractive, Sea Rocket was
another plant showing seed capsules. Each capsule contains a pair of smooth,
brown seeds. Our exploration of the seashore flora was interrupted by the
croaking of a Sandwich Tern that was diving for fish. The light had improved
well enough for us to be able to see the lighthouse on Lady Isle. The small
island has quite a bit of history.
We decided to have a scan of the
area to the south end of the car park. Before long, John uttered,
“There’s Sammy at one o’clock!” (our code for “I see a Seal just to the
right of straight ahead!”). In fact, it was a Grey Seal taking a bit of
a breather between dives. We sat on our wee 3-legged stools on a
slipway, giving us a grand view over the rocks. Some divers had just
been fishing offshore and were cooking them in the area just behind us.
So with the smell of BBQ in my nostrils I photographed in quick
succession two ever-present favourites, a Pied Wagtail and a Rock
Pipit. Our final capture was a nice one, a female Wheatear. I remember
seeing one in the same place in August last year. Maybe it was the same
bird.
So,
after a promising start, the middle of the visit was a bit of a damp
squib, but once the rain stopped we got a lot of sightings in a short
time. We celebrated that “grand recovery” with tea and caramel-iced
eclairs - Yukmm-ee. Hoping to see the sun next week. Pictures of the Week:
August 5th 2018: This weekend we returned to one of
our favourite sites for the first time in about 15 weeks - Musselburgh.
Reports of bird sightings on social media were encouraging, as were
weather predictions, so by mid-morning on Sunday we found ourselves
tucking into breakfasts in Dalkeith Morrisons prior to what we hoped
would be a productive few hours around the mouth of the Esk and Scrapes. We parked at the Levenhall Links
and made our way across the 100m footpath across wild grassland. We saw
lots of butterflies there including the Small White and the more
flighty Meadow Brown (which managed to evade the camera). We also
snapped a White-tailed Bumblebee on a Perennial Sow Thistle. At the sea
wall John pointed out a pair of immature Herring Gulls fighting over a
Starfish. We moved westwards accompanied by the familiar call and sight
of Oystercatchers as group after group sped from their resting places
in the Scrapes towards the feeding grounds at the mouth of the Esk.
The familiar “rusty door hinge”
call of the Sandwich Tern was next to draw our attentions. They too
were streaming seawards out of the Scrapes in fair numbers. We noticed
that a few of them were juveniles and we theorised that parent birds
were tutoring their latest offspring in the skills of fishing. This was
supported by our observation that many were returning back to the
Scrapes with silvery fish in their bills. On our way into the Scrapes I
took a few pictures of 7-spot Ladybirds nesting in the grassy verges of
the path. Just outside one of the hides a few Speckled Wood butterflies
were very active, males searching for females and frequently tussling
with other like-minded males.
As expected, since the tide was
now low, the Scrapes were a bit short of birds. A single Lapwing sat
opposite the middle hide and a pair of Shelduck were feeding in the
middle of the centre scrape. A distant Common Sandpiper foraged far to
the right, but, apart from some distant Mallards and a Curlew that was
it. I noticed a large patch of Hare’s-foot Clover immediately in front
of the hide and manage a fairly good picture using my big zoom lens.
As we left the Scrapes, John
directed me towards a Meadow Brown butterfly, which, for once, sat
still long enough for a quick shot. On the footpath that lead us back
to the seawall we came across three rather nervous juvenile Pied
Wagtails scouring the path for invertebrates. The flew off as we
apprached. At the seawall we had a close encounter with a strangely
approachable pigeon. Each of its legs were ringed, which could indicate
that it was a Racing Pigeon having a bit of a pit-stop. As we sat
observing the pigeon, a Kestrel sped past and proceeded to hunt the
grassy banks that run parallel to the “promenade”.
As we continued west, I noticed
what, at first I thought was a golf ball, until I discover it was a
small Peeling Puffball. This fungus releases its spores by the action
of raindrops, each drop causing a “puff” of spores (hence the name)
that are then carried away by the wind. We leaned on the wall scanning
the sea, lamenting how vacant it looked when we realised that the
action was going on around our elbows. A tiny, well-camouflaged Zebra
Back Spider (Salticus Scenicus) meandered across the top of the wall
seeking out its prey. This little jumping spider uses its 4 eyes to
stalk its prey before pouncing on it. Next we encountered a small brown
Larch Ladybird clinging to the landward side of the wall. This
Ladybird, unlike its 7-spot cousin, uses camouflage as a defence. It
usually resides in wooded environments, so how it managed to get onto a
sea wall is a bit puzzling. Our final discovery on the wall was spotted
by John - a Broad Damsel Bug. To allow me to get a picture, he
encouraged it onto a fag packet, ( I'd found it on the ground and was
taking it to a litter bin! Ed.). I think you’ll agree, it’s not a
pretty creature.
We found many more birds when we
reached the Esk. There was a very large flock of Mute Swans at the
mouth of the river. A pair of adults with five large cygnets glided
past us. Then there was a bit of a commotion when a female Mallard flew
across the river chased by a Black-headed Gull. The duck had got hold
of a crab and wasn’t going to let it go. After a brief struggle it flew
up the river leaving the gull trailing far behind. A minute later, a
Great Black-backed Gull flew over the calm scene. We wondered if it
would have intervened had it passed seconds earlier.
More of the “usual suspects” were
to be seen going about their business on the riverside, Redshank,
Bar-tailed Godwits and Curlew. The sky had become overcast and the
light was low so we started on our return journey. The sea remained
disappointingly bereft of birds but microlight aircraft buzzed
westwards overhead giving me something to photograph.
Just past the east end of the
Scrapes I got a nice shot of a 2nd cycle Back-headed Gull on the shore
(see “Pictures of the Week” below. Close by, a 2nd cycle Herring Gull
was finishing off a Razorshell. On a large seaweed-covered waste pipe
Eider and Cormorants were lounging in the gloomy conditions. Just as we
reached the car, a pair of Buzzards circled overhead but the poor light
meant my shots were little better than silhouettes.
After the longer-than-usual
circuit we were more than ready for our tea and buns with cinnamon
icing. Not a bad outing with some nice pictures taken and even a couple
of newbies, the Larch Ladybird and Damsel Bug. What a pity it ended on
a literally dull note as the Buzzard shots could have been great - oh
well, maybe next time! Pictures of the Week:
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