Archive - April 2025


Archive - April 2025

Week ending: 27th April : RSPB Baron’s Haugh

Wednesday and Thursday were sunny and warm and this encouraged me to visit my local RSPB reserve at Baron’s Haugh in Motherwell.

Rain and Prediction	Cloud

Courtesy of Open Street Map

After parking I headed for the Marsh Hide via the footpath to the rear of the car park. I passed a low Crab Apple tree which was in full bloom.

There were also Bluebellsin bloom tucked below some Hawthorns. I was pleased to see a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly landing a few metres from the path. The path took me down the hill with fields to the right and wood to the left. A Wren boldly sounded its piercing song from the undergrowth, but jumped up onto a bramble just long enough for me to photograph it. A Silver Ground Carpet Moth caught me eye as it fluttered across the path into the hide.

Common Bluebell	Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly

Wren	Silver Ground Carpet Moth

Below is the view of the scrapes in front of the Marsh Hide.

There were fewer birds that I expected, although it was good to see Mute Swans and Coots building nests in full view from the hide. Quarrelsome Little Grebes were screaming at each other as they dived for fish, as Coots and a pair of Gadwalls also dived for their preferred food of aquatic vegetation and small invertebrates.

Mute Swan	Little Grebe

Coot	Moorhen

Gadwall...

The view from the Causeway Hide was also very disappointing, due mainly to the very low water level. The only shot I took from my short visit there was a snap of a hoverfly, Eristalis arbustorum, on a Hawthorn leaf. However I proceeded to the path beside the River Clyde where Garlic
Mustard plants were sprouting and coming into bloom. In the middle of the river there was a juvenile Cormorant perched on a half-submerged remains of a tree. At the recently-created gap in the bund at the north end of the haugh I found tiny, but lovely flowers of Dog Violet on the bank,
along with Gorse and the ubiquitous Dandelions.

Hoverfly - Eristalis Arbustorum	Garlic Mustard

Juvenile Cormorant	Dog Violet

Gorse	Dandelion

The view towards the Marsh Hide from the site of the old Phoenix hide is quite sad - especially because the gap that has been created is actually beyond where the hide was, so could the hide have been saved from destruction?

I crossed the gap and rejoined the familiar path beyond the destruction. I immediately encountered a couple of butterflies: a single Speckled Wood and multiple female Orange Tips . The latter don’t actually have orange tips on their wings. The males do though, but the ones I saw were very flighty and didn’t stop long enough for me to get a picture. However, I kept trying.

Speckled Butterfly...	Female OrangeTip Butterfly...

The verges of the footpath were beginning to fill with flowers, many with insect in attendance. I came upon a Cuckoo Flower with a hoverfly, Rhingia campestris, named recently as the “Heineken Hoverfly” due to its long snout which enables it to reach parts of a flower that
other hoverflies cannot reach. Later I noticed a Dark-edged Bee Fly patrolling the path edges looking for nectar-bearing flowers such as Dog Violets. In a patch of verge that held Greater Stitchwort, I saw another small hoverfly, Melanostoma mellinum, feeding on the nectaries on one of the flowers.

Hoverfly - Rhingia Campestris / Cuckoo Flower	Dark - edged Bee Fly

Greater Stitchwort	Hoverfly - Melanostoma Mellinum

On the section of footpath between the Centenary Hide and Chestnut Walk I hit a purple patch, in terms of birdwatching, when I observed and successfully photographed a series of birds. The first of these was a Willow Warbler whose dulcet tones were unmistakable and the first time I’d heard them this year. I followed that with a similar-looking warbler, one which has an entirely different song which actually gives it its common name, the Chiffchaff. Near the Chestnut Walk I chanced upon another visiting warbler, the Blackcap, as it skipped between branches while whistling its mad song which seems to consist of random sets of notes. As I tracked down these seasonal visitors I came across a trio of permanent residents: a Blue Tit, a Robin and a Chaffinch. I heard the Robin before I saw it. In fact I’d a difficult time trying to find it because I find their high pitched tones hard to pinpoint, especially now with leaves on the trees. The third permanent resident I came across was a Chaffinch, which was singing in branches just above the path.

Willow Warbler	Chiffchaff

Blackcap	Blue Tit

Robin	Chaffinch

On a grassy clearing be the the river the were flowers blossoming: Germander Speedwell, Lesser Celandine and Ramson (also known as “Wild Garlic”). I noticed a wee Amber Snai l sticking to one of the Ramson’s broad leaves.

Germander Speedwell	Lesser Celandine

Ramsons	Amber snail

I left the riverside and made my way along the Chestnut Walk and was rewarded with a longawaited shot of a male Orange Tip butterfly as it hung on a Cuckoo Flower. Eventually I reached the end of the White Walk (the start of which leads to the entrance to the car park). A Woodpigeon
watched me pass by on my trek up the brae. There were special small bees moving silently around the base of tall embankment wall halfway up the hill. These were Marsham’s Nomad Bees. At the car park I found Cowslips blooming and Wild Strawberries not only in flower but actually fruiting.

Chestnut Walk	Male Orange Tip Butterfly

Wood Pigeon	Marsham's Nomad Bee

Cowslip	Wild Strawberry

I really enjoyed my stroll around the RSPB Baron’s Haugh reserve. I photographed 36 species, my favourites being the 3 butterflies, 3 warblers and the juvenile Cormorant. We're in for an unseasonally warm spell of weather so I wonder what interesting sightings that wil lead to.

Week ending: 20th April : Barns Ness and Dunbar Battery

This week, due to a mixture of poor weather and family commitments, I had to restrict my nature watching to a single day - Sunday. The weather predictions were best for the east, so I headed for the Lothian coast, in and around Dunbar. Luckily the weather was very favourable for
photography, although it was still a little chilly. The tide was low during my visit, which meant sea birds would be distant, but there would be plenty other things to see-or so I hoped.

Clouds	Rain	Tides

Courtesy of Open Street Map and BBC Tides

Sunday, 20th April (AM): Barns Ness

As I approached Barn Ness, the toxic smoke from the cement works was being blown away from the seashore, so I decided to have a walk around the lighthouse and its hinterland. As expected, the seashore was exposed at low tide.

The Common Scurvygrass was in bloom at the edges of the shore. The only birds I could see on first scan were distant Shelducks which were at least 150 m away. I was pleased to hear the familiar chirping of a wagtail. Eventually it came fairly close and I could see that it was a White
Wagtail hunting flies on the sands. At the lighthouse I snapped some flowers: Wallflower and Cat’s Ear with a feeding Honey Bee .

Common Scurvygrass	Shelduck

White Wagtail...

Wallflower	Honey Bee

Due to the lack of birds on the seashore, I decided to round the lighthouse and cross the scrubland to the south perimeter of the reserve where there were trees and bushes likely to be hosting birdlife. Just before reaching the gate into the scrubland, I was delighted to find a Skylark was sitting singing on a fencepost. It took to the air when I ventured too close, but I managed some decent pictures. After crossing the scrubland, I noticed that there were very active Linnets in the bushes. The extensive areas of Gorse were in full bloom, gloriously yellow in the Spring sunshine. As I photographed the Gorse at the rough path I was following, I heard the calls of two unseen Yellowhammers . Further along the path one of these popped into view atop a tall bush. I stopped for a short time at the edge of a conifer wood where a Carrion Crow was surveying the area from the top of a Scot’s Pine tree.

Barns Ness Lighthouse	Skylark

Linnet	Gorse

Yellowhammer	Carrion Crow

The path the took me to the now restored site of a former caravan park. I had paused briefly to photograph some charming Common Daisies and White Deadnettle, when I heard and then saw and snapped a rather bold Chiffchaff at the edge of the wood. After taking pictures of some Lesser Periwinkle and Ground Ivy I returned to the car for sandwiches and tea before driving to the Dunbar Battery.

Common Daisy	White Deadnetttle

Chiffchaff...

Ground Ivy	Lesser Periwinkle

Sunday, 20th April (PM): Dunbar Battery

The Dunbar Battery is located just over 4 miles west of Barns Ness and within 15 minutes I had managed to park very close to the Battery which overlooks the ruins of Dunbar Castle, ruins which provides Kittiwakes with an annual nesting area. I started though near the harbour mouth, where rock stacks provide nesting for Shags, Kittiwakes and Herring Gulls. There were fewer Shags than I was expecting, perhaps they were all fishing. Herring Gulls are much maligned, but are thoroughly watchable. In the time I was there they came and went, nest building and one had hunted and consumed a large Harbour Crab.

Shag	Kittiwake

Herring Gull...

The immature Herring Gulls have plumages which begin brown coloured and develops gradually over 3 years to the familiar white and grey plumage.

Another bird I find fascinating is the Fulmar. These are known as “masters of the updraught” due to their flying expertise. Fulmars often nest on the west side of the castle ruin where I watched one fulmar for a time as it lived up to its moniker, diving, soaring and generally showing me all of its aerobatic skills.

Fulmar

Next I moved to the site of the Battery with its excellent views north to the small island rocks known as the Yetts. These look multi-coloured since they are coated in years of guano (bird excrement), so popular are they as perches for birds’ fishing, drying wings and roosting.

With the Bass Rock colony of Gannets just a few miles to the west, there are frequent passes of groups of Gannets that are flying to and from the colony.

As can be seen from the above picture and the ones below, there were a fair number of Shags, including immature Shags, on the Yetts. Perhaps they return to the rock stacks at nightfall. Other birds that can be seen passing the Battery are Eiders. As I left the Battery I noticed the wild garden had flowering Buck’s-horn Plantain and Thrift, very common wildflowers on rocky coastlines all around the UK.

Shag...

	Gannet

Buck's - horn Plantain	Thrift

Finally, I walked around the harbour for the best view of the Kittiwake colony amassed on the ancient walls of Dunbar Castle. There was a perpetual cacophony of repeating calls of “kittiwake-kittiwake- kittiwake….”, a the birds flew in from their feeding areas just beyond the Yetts, landing skilfully on the narrow ledges on the castle walls, and greeting their mates that were patiently sitting on nest, warming their eggs.

	Kittiwake...

It was a quiet day from the point of view of numbers of species seen (23). However, I liked the mix, my favourites being: Chiffchaff, Skylark, White Wagtail, Fulmar, Kittiwake, Shag, Honey Bee, Buck-horn Plantain. The weather seems to be getting milder which is promising for another lovely spell of weather - or am I tempting providence?

Week ending: 13th April: Doonfoot, Musselburgh and Port Seton

As the spell of bright, sunny weather rolled into its second week, I visited the Ayrshire coast on Wednesday and then on Thursday I travelled to the Lothian coast.

Wednesday, 9th April: Doonfoot

Doonfoot was my destination on Wednesday. Conditions were lovely to took at, but there was a bitterly cold wind so I didn’t discard my thick jacket and woolly hat as I set off after parking in the Castle Road car park.

Cloud	Rain	Tides

Courtesy of Open Street Map and BBC Tides

The tide was low and incoming and there was a large flock of Mute Swans gathered just off the mouth of the Doon estuary.

The view to the south was dominated by the remains of Greenan Castle which stands rather precariously on the edge of a rocky cliff top.

I was surprised to find the blue flowers of Lesser Periwinkle growing through the long grass at the edge of the car park. I snapped a bold cock House Sparrow which was chirping freely from its perch in a low bush. A Carrion Crow was foraging on the sandy bank of the River Doon as a lone female Mallard was paddling upstream.

Lesser Periwinkle	House Sparrow

Carrion Crow	Female Mallard

I crossed the river via the footbridge to get a close look at a flock of Redshanks I could see. They were quite restless and I noticed that there was a Black-tailed Godwit in their midst.

Redshank / Black - tailed Godwit

I also spotted a line of snoozing Turnstones close to the Redshanks. They too became quite flighty, maybe because some walkers with dogs were passing by at the water’s edge.

I zoomed in on the Godwit as it took a break to preen its colourful plumage with its long straight bill. A drake Mallard paddled past as I turned my attention to a couple of wildflowers I’d spotted near the sea wall: Lesser Celandine and Germander Speedwell.

Redshank / Black - tailed Godwit	Mallard

Lesser Celandine	Germander Speedwell

Next I returned to the car and relocated half a mile south, to the Greenan Road car park. I immediately came upon a Dunnock singing perched in a Hawthorn bush. All along the path to the base of the castle rock, the Hawthorns made a fine sight, beautifully covered in glorious sets of small white flowers. When I reached the base of the rock, below the castle, there were a few flowering plants, mainly Common Scurvygrass. As I snapped these I could hear the unmistakable calls of Sandwiches Terns that were diving about 50m offshore. I walked a fair distance along the coast to the edge of the water and waited to get a close view of the wandering Sandwich Terns and eventually they returned. Unfortunately they were not very close and my pictures were of the “record shot” variety.

Dunnock	Common Hawthorn

Common Scurvygrass	Sandwich Tern

My trek along the shore to see the Terns had taken me well beyond the castle. I next walked back to the castle, not by the shore, but along the field adjacent to the shore. On the verge of the field there were Red Deadnettle and Red Campions blooming. I also discovered a 7-spot Ladybird near the Campion. I clambered up the steep, narrow path to the castle, dodging the Hawthorns, but also managing to get a pleasing shot of a male Chaffinch that was perching amid the thorny branches.

Red Deadnettle	Red Campion

7 Spot Ladybird	Chaffinch

At the top of the path, on the plateau upon which Greenan Castle stands. I photographed the area through which I’d just passed. I’d seen the Terns by the shore on the right and the return path was along the field on the left. Also note the distant Heads of Ayr in the background.

On my way along the east of the plateau, I photographed the green-flowered Dogs Mercury plants growing below the thorns and while doing so, a Dark-edged Bee Fly conveniently landed at my feet. Also, Ground Ivy was in bloom at various point along the way. Just before I reached the car park, I almost stood on a brown, marble-sized sphere that I think was an Oak Gall. The latter usually occur in trees not in a field, so I’m settling for Puffball. My final pictures were taken from my car as I had tea and biscuits: a pair of Stonechats that appeared on the shrubbery in front of the car, the male with a feather in his beak - possibly he was nest building.

Dog's Mercury	Dark - edged beefly

Ground Ivy	Oak Gall

Female Stonechat	Male Stonechat

Thursday, 10th April: Musselburgh and Port Seton

Musselburgh was my destination on Thursday. The weather was even better than on the previous day, although there were times in the hides when the wind chill was uncomfortable. The tide was high on arrival so I headed for the New Scrapes, where I expected birds would be resting until the tide retreats.

Cloud	Rain	Tide

Courtesy of Open Street Map and BBC Tides

The view below shows the mouth of the Esk Estuary with Portobello, Edinburgh and Leith in the background, and of course, the dominant Arthur’s Seat in the centre of the frame.

I walked along the east side of the mouth of the Estuary and managed a very pleasing shot of a Common Carder Bee, the first I’ve seen this year, feeding on a White Deadnettle. On the shore, the usual birds, namely Oystercatchers, Redshanks and Carrion Crows were busy. A lone drake Wigeon seemed to paddle aimlessly, perhaps looking for his flock. I snapped a beautiful clump of Dandelion flowers at the sea wall (it’s a pity they are such a garden pest).

White Deadnettle / Common Carder Bumblebee	Oystercatcher

Redshank	Carrion Crow

Wigeon	Dandelion

Just before I reached the access path to the New Scrapes, a fishing Cormorant surfaced just below the sea wall. It was in breeding plumage.

Near the New Scrapes I could see a large flock of Oystercatchers and a single Shelduck standing on the far side of the scrapes.

There was a male Reed Bunting on the fence post of the gate into the first hide and just inside the gate, Red Deadnettles were blooming - which was good. Not so good though was the lack of birds on the scrapes. Apart from the Oystercatchers and Shelduck already mentioned there were only small numbers of Wigeons scattered around the reserve.

Reed Bunting	Red Deadnettle

Wigeon	Shelduck

A pair of Cormorants turned up and spooked a Mute Swan that was initially out of sight.

It wasn’t much better at the Old scrapes, although there was a line of Bar-tailed Godwits on the rightmost scrape.

On the same scrape there were a few more Shelducks and a lone Black-tailed Godwit. All I saw on the middle scrape were a Meadow Pipit and a Pied Wagtail.

Shelduck	Black - tailed Godwit

Meadow Pipit	Pied Wagtail

I finished my trip at the Wrecked Craigs at Port Seaton where I was relieved to find a healthy number of birds on and around the rocks. There were Eiders on the furthest rocks.

A Shag landed on the same rock and spread its wings to dry them in the strong sunlight, and on neighbouring rocks Curlews and Turnstones were resting. A pair of Eiders swam around the harbour wall to the shallows below the harbour buildings. The female lay flat on the water surface - a prelude to copulation - but the drake didn’t seem interested. A lively Starling was singing on on wires above the buildings. After I photographed the Starling I noticed Oxford Ragwort and Danish Scurvygrass flowering at the edge of the harbour forecourt.

Shag	Curlew

Eider	Starling

Oxford Ragwort	Danish Scurvygrass

With 36 species photographed over the two days I feel fairly satisfied. My favourites sightings were the Stonechats, Reed Bunting, Sandwich Terns and Godwits, and also the Carder Bee, Bee Fly and of course the Ladybird. I expect the weather will regress to normal seasonal conditions but you never know.

Week ending: 6th April: RSPB Baron’s Haugh, Troon, RSPB Lochwinnoch, Strathclyde Country Park.

In what turned out to be a week of bright, sunny weather I visited a nice variety of places, made quite a few sightings and built up a pleasing set of pictures.

Tuesday, 1st April (AM): RSPB Barons Haugh, Motherwell

April Fools Day found me at Barons Haugh. My first sight of the Haugh, as I made my way down from the car park, filled me with anticipation of the sightings that were possible.

A Chiffchaff was singing atop a tree beside the path into the Marsh Hide. Also there was a male Chaffinch on the path in front of me. Once inside the hide I began snapping the birds I could see on the scrapes: Canada Geese, Mallards and Wigeon. I heard the call of a Buzzard and so nipped out of the hide to catch sight of it as it passed overhead.

Chiffchaff	Chaffinch

Canada Goose	Mallard

Wigeon	Buzzard

Back in the hide I scanned the area further back and spotted a lone Curlew wading in shallowpools. I decided to move to Dalzell Estate (which neighbours Barons Haugh) to see if I could get a picture of a Nuthatch. On my way there I snapped a rather silhouetted Grey Squirrel watching me
as I passed. There were Common Daisies now in flower. As I photographed them, a Dunnock began singing in nearby bushes and after a patient search I managed a decent shot. Next I noticed a patch of Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage in flower just off the path. Finally I reached
Dalzell Estate and immediately heard the unmistakable call of a Nuthatch. It lead me a merry dance as I tracked it as it moved across the high branches of the tallest trees but eventually I got a shot of it in a typical upside down pose as it foraged on the surfaces of the tree.

Curlew	Grey Squirrel

Common Daisy	Dunnock

Opposite - leaved Golden Saxifrage	Nuthatch

Wednesday, 2nd April: Troon

The next day I ventured further afield to a sunny Troon on the Ayrshire coast. The tide was low and rising throughout my visit.

Cloud	Rain	Tides

Courtesy of Open Street Map and BBC Tides

Below is the view from Troon Harbour looking north. Note the Ardrossan wind farm on the hills behind the town.

I warmed up my camera by photographing a young Herring Gull that was standing on the shore and I also found the salt-loving wildflower, Danish Scurvygrass growing between the large cobble kerb stones at the edges of the car park. I positioned myself on the wee rock beach just north of the car park in order to see what I could see. Very soon a pair of Eiders swam past, about 150m out. Next I spotted a Black Guillemot which took off just as I pressed the shutter.

2nd Cycle Herring Gull	Danish Scurvygrass

Eider Duck	Black Guillemot

A passing Shag was my next sighting and after that I snapped a colourful Starling serenading the world from its perch high on a chimney pot. More Scurvygrass caught my eye- this time Common Scurvygrass , a much larger species that grows on sandy shores. My final sighting at Troon was a male Pied Wagtail that was surveying the surroundings from a chimney top.

Shag	Starling

Common Scurvygrass	Pied Wagtail

Sunday , 6th April (AM): Strathclyde County Park.

On Sunday morning I had a brief walk in Strathclyde County Park. Once again, as can be seen in the picture below, the high pressure weather system was still dominant, leading to blue, cloudless skies and bright sunshine.

The mild, bright conditions encouraged Slender Speedwell to bloom on some low, grassy margins of the park. There were Chiffchaffs singing incessantly at various points along the east side of the area, and I managed a few shots of one rather mobile individual. A bedraggled Peacock butterfly landed on one of the park’s wildflower sections (the flowers are just developing). That was nice to see, but for me the most notable sight I saw during my brief walk was a large flock of Cormorants diving together as they fished the whole length of the loch.

Slender Speedwell	Chiffchaff

Peacock Butterfly	Cormorant

Any Cormorant that had a successful dive attempted to quickly swallow its catch because it was immediately accosted by the other birds, including large Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

Sunday, 5th April: RSPB Lochwinnoch

I spent Sunday afternoon at the RSPB Lochwinnoch reserve attracted by the prospect of seeing a reported Little Ringed Plover. I started my afternoon stroll in the reserve with a shot of some Wood Spurge that was growing in one of the flower beds outside of the visitor centre. At the Channel Hide I was pleased to see a foraging Lapwing at relatively close quarters, its iridescent plumage displaying a rich variety of colours. Next I trained my camera on some Shovelers that were dabbling further back in the scrapes. A small group of Rooks flew across the site, some
having a quick wash in the shallow pools.

Wood Spurge	Lapwing

Shoveler	Rook

I was disappointed though that I could not locate the Little Ringed Plover despite scanning the scrapes several times. A local birder who regularly visits the reserve advised me that the LRP often “comes and goes”. He thought it was “too early” yet to see it. I had a quick look for it from the viewing room above the visitor centre shop - but to no avail. It was a nice view though.

I returned briefly to the Channel Hide where I photographed some Teal, Canada Geese and Jackdaws, but I then decided to have a look at the birds at the feeders…..

Female Teal	Drake Teal

Canada Goose	Jackdaw

…..and was delighted that there were actually birds there (which was not the case at my last visit). A Common Drone Fly was sunning itself on one of the information boards and as I snapped it a pair of Collared Doves descended onto the feeder table. Then, after a short wait, in came the tits and finches: Goldfinch, Coal Tit, ….

Common Drone Fly	Collared Dove

Goldfinch	Coal Tit

…. Chaffinch male and female, and then (drum roll …) a Nuthatch dashed in, ate a lot, and dashed away again. Then, concluding my very enjoyable day out, a Greenfinch started calling from a close treetop and then dropped to lower, much closer branches.

Female Chaffinch	Male Chaffinch

Nuthatch	Greenfinch

In a week full of interesting sightings, my particular favourites were the Buzzard, Chiffchaff, Nuthatch and Greenfinch. The Slender Speedwell is a newby, and it was good to see some insects, i.e. the Common Drone fly and Peacock butterfly. I’m sure that I’ll be photographing manymore before the month is out.

Highlights - April 2025

We present this month’s gallery of my favourite pictures I’ve taken during April 2025. They are not listed in the order they have been taken, but according to a series of themes. I’ve kept commentary to a minimum, preferring to let each picture talk for itself.

BIRDS ON TREES