Week ending: 25th February: Hogganfield Park LNR, Strathclyde Country Park, Dalzell Estate

I was on my own again this week and once again I visited relatively local sites. Hogganfield Park LNR, Strathclyde Country Park and Dalzell Estate (which neighbours RSPB Barons Haugh in Motherwell). The weather was cold but sunny so I got right down to business and drove to Hogganfield Loch. My main interest there were the pairs of Great Crested Grebes that were reported to be building nests around the loch. As I started my walk my first shot was of a juvenile Cormorant with several juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gulls that were standing on a floating platform. I was delighted to see a pair of Great Crested Grebes  just beyond the platform.

Cormorant	Great Crested Grebe...

I spotted another pair by the artificial islands at the southwest corner of the loch. As I walked to see them I photographed a lovely Coot and also a Grey Heron that passed overhead. The second pair of Grebes were a lot nearer the lochside. The female’s plumage was quite light, which might indicate that it was young.

Coot	Grey Heron
Great Crested Grebe...

After a few minutes the Grebes got a little frisky and began their courtship behaviour, shaking and nodding their heads and raising their crests. Unfortunately they were interrupted by passing Mute Swans so I didn’t get to see the fetching and presenting of the pondweed nor the dramatic climax where both birds rise out of the water and face each other.

My second site visit was Strathclyde Country Park, Motherwell. A short walk there produced some pleasing pictures of a Coal Tit  and Blue Tit feeding on fruiting Alder Trees. I also spotted a surfacing Cormorant resplendent in his silver-headed breeding plumage.

Coal Tit...
Blue Tit	Cormorant Breeding Plumage

On my way back to the car I found a fallen Silver Birch tree that hosted a large, orange crust fungus, probably Hairy Curtain Crust. There were Common Daisies in bloom along the edge of the grassy banks of the loch. Beside one Daisy plant I came across Common Whitlowgrass

Hairy Curtain Crust....
Common Daisy	Common Whitlowgrass

My final location visited was Dalzell Estate, Motherwell. It was nice to see the Crocuses and Daffodils in bloom near Dalzell House. I ventured down a path that would eventually take me to the River Clyde. Near the start of the path I heard a Jay calling and very soon I located it on the high branches of a tree some 40m away. Luckily I had a clear view through the leafless branches and managed some decent shots.

Crocus	Daffodil
Jay...

Low branches in the dark and dim conditions of the wooded path were ideal places for Oakmoss, lichen, Evernia prunastri, to grow. It is also called Stag Lichen presumably due to its branches resembling stag antlers.

I eventually reached a woodland path that overlooked the River Clyde. The grassy slopes that lead down to the river are called Easter Braes. A Roe Buck was wandering the braes (slopes) as I admired the view. I decided to park myself at the gate shown in the picture below, and observe any birds or animals that turned up. Almost immediately a Great Tit and then a Bullfinch appeared on the small bushes by the fence.

	Roe Deer
Great Tit	Bullfinch

I heard a Nuthatch  calling from the top of a tall tree I was standing beside, but, being a nippy wee mover, it evaded the camera. However, it suddenly descended to the forest floor and proceeded to feed there long enough for me to fire off a few shots. Next a pair of Grey Squirrels began foraging to the west of where I was standing. I carefully sneaked a bit nearer to them and managed to capture a couple of nice shots.

Nuthatch...
Grey Squirrel...

Satisfied with my successes at the gate, I decided to move down to the river via the woodland paths. On my way there I snapped another Nuthatch that was high in branches of a tall tree. I came across another fungus this time growing on a large conifer. I have yet to identify it. I made my way along a path known as the Chestnut Way which lead onto the Clyde Walkway which runs parallel to the river. From that path I got a picture of another Roe Deer, a female, that was feeding on Easter Braes. I snapped a Magpie from close range (too close to include its wonderful iridescent tail).

Nuthatch	T.B.C.
Roe Deer	Magpie

Below is a photo of Easter Braes taken from the Clyde Walkway. There were Mallards in the pond in the foreground, but they too proved elusive. On my way back to the car I snapped another fungus, Turkeytail. Finally, just as I left the Dalzell Estate, I spotted a Song Thrush and a Jackdaw in trees watching me as I passed. I thanked them as I worked the camera.

	Turkeytail
Song Thrush	Jackdaw

Well, the weather was very good and my tactic of making relatively brief visits to each of the sites certainly paid off in terms of sightings - 26 species seen. My favourites were the Great Crested Grebes, the Jay and Nuthatches. I’ve just heard the weather presenter say that next weekend is the start of Meteorological Spring . Hopefully the pleasant conditions experienced on Sunday will be even more likely


Week ending: 18th February 2024: Hogganfield Park LNR, Strathclyde County Park

I was on my own this week as John is unwell, but thankfully is on the mend.

I'm back on the park as it were thanks to Wishaw General A&E, Wishaw General Coronary Care Unit and Hairmyres Cardiac Catheterisation Centre. Won't be able to join Jim for a few weeks but looking forward to getting back to out and about!.

I opted for a couple of my favourite local haunts, Hogganfield Park LNR on the east side of Glasgow and Strathclyde Country Park near Motherwell. The predicted weather was favourable, cloudy with sunny intervals, and I set off hoping it would be more of the latter. I skipped the usual breakfast and got right down to business at Hogganfield after parking in the new car park beside the recently opened Golf-it project. The usual lively crowd of birds at the “old” car park were receiving bread from kind-hearted people. Mute and Whooper Swans  (Swans)) jostled for position as whole slices of bread were lobbed over them. The much smaller Coots and Moorhens, who don’t usually take bread, went about their business and kept out of the way of the excited white giants. Some Tufted Ducks were diving for food just beyond the chaotic scenes at the water’s edge.
They are omnivorous but don’t usually take bread.

Mute Swan	Whooper Swan
Moorhen	Coot
Male Tufted Duck	Female Tufted Duck

A few Goldeneyes were also diving for food - eg small crustaceans, fish and invertebrates. Mallards, though, were interested in bread but had to compete, not only with the swans but also with the often vicious, sharp toothed Goosanders. Looking further out, I could see a Great Crested Grebe diving for fish. These grebes have been absent from the loch over the last few months and usually return around the start of spring. I also noticed an Oystercatcher on an artificial island.

Goldeneye	Female Goldeneye
Mallard	Goosander
Great Crested Grebe	Oystercatcher

Walking south around the loch I photographed a juvenile Cormorant that was perched mid-loch on batons constructed there for that exact purpose. I also snapped a Greylag Goose posing at the Lochside, and a Lesser Black-backed Gull bobbing in the quite choppy water. At the east side of the island I was very pleased to see a pair of courting Great Crested Grebes. They were looking for a nesting site, however they should think again since the artificial islands they were investigating happen to be right below Hogganfield’s heronry. The Grey Herons will certainly predate any young grebe chicks.

Juvenile Cormorant	Greylag Goose
Lesser Black-backed Gull	Grey Heron
Great Crested Grebe...

I always extend my circular walk around the loch by walking around the wee pond east of the loch. I very often see different birds, flowers, insects and even, if I’m lucky, Roe Deer. This week I was lucky because I came face to face with a beautiful Roe Deer on the path, along with three others. They paused long enough for me to photograph them before scampering around the pond and into the undergrowth. I also got shots from distance of a Gadwall pair.

Roe Deer...
	Gadwall

While walking the path on the opposite side of the pond I heard the unmistakable rasping call of a Greenfinch  and after a brief search I located it on the wrong side of a Hawthorn bush. Back on the loch roadside I got a nice flight shot of a Magpie that was carrying a small branch in its beak - nest building? Next I came upon a mother and child feeding some birds that included Canada Geese and Mute Swans.

Greenfinch	Magpie
Canada Goose	Mute Swan

After lunch I relocated to the northeast side of the loch at Strathclyde Country Park. My first sighting there was of a Mistle Thrush  hopping about one of the grass football pitches. In bushes that line the path near by the mouth of the South Calder river I got some shots of a courting Blue Tit. That was interrupted by a pair of Buzzards passing overhead, calling. Although satisfied by close views of those impressive birds, things got even better when I noticed a Little Egret perched on branches of a sunken tree, fairly close to the bank.

Mistle Thrush	Blie Tit
Buzzard...
Little Egret...

There is a very large population of Cormorants at Strathclyde Loch and they roost near the mouth of the river, well away from the lanes used for national rowing competitions. On my way back to the car I passed a wooded area adjacent to the Bothwellhaugh football pitches. There I photographed blooming Crocuses and Snowdrops - a true sign that Spring is just around the corner. I even saw a Midge on the window of my car but, sadly, it evaded the camera.

Cormorant	Crocus...
	Snowdrop

I had a very pleasant time at these sites and I’d like to point out that both parks were teaming with people, most of whom were engaged in activities other that nature-watching. So people and their dogs, plants and animals can co-exist well when the design of the environment is given sufficient thought. My favourite sightings were the courting Great Crested Grebes, Greenfinch, Buzzards and Little Egret and the flowers warmed my heart.

Week ending: 12th February 2024: Musselburgh

Another cold, damp and grey Sunday was predicted for Central Scotland. The only difference from last week was that there would be hardly any wind, and that could lead to dense mist. Once again the best chance of bright and dry conditions would be towards the east. I chose therefore, Musselburgh, a site that seldom has let us down. We had our usual Dalkeith Morrisons’ breakfasts (9.5/10: excellent but a half off for the small plates) and then drove to the River Esk at Millhill to begin our search for interesting sightings.

On arrival near the Millhill car park our spirits were immediately raised when we saw that there was plenty of bird action at the slipway beside the car park. Someone had recently thrown slices of bread into the water, much to the delight of the Mute Swans, Mallards, Herring Gulls, Blackheaded Gulls and Canada Geese.

I encountered a wee Blue Tit on the bushes of one of the riverside houses. Then a large flapping Canada Goose caught my eye, as did a Canada X Greylag hybrid Goose behind it. A few Goldeneyes, which prefer to dine on small aquatic animals, were diving well away from the melee at the slipway.

Blue Tit	Canada X Greylag  / Canada Goose
Drake Goldeneye	Female Goldeneye

We stood at the railings above the crowd of hungry birds and snapped away until we had pictures of much of the action. Mallards were courting and adult Mute Swans were throwing their weight around to remind the adolescents who exactly were in charge. There were also frequent bouts of aggression shown by the Canada Geese. The Feral Pigeons sitting beside us on the railings remained apart from those squabbles, preferring to wait for opportunities to feed on the crumbs left by the larger birds. The Jackdaws had a similar idea, but were not afraid to get among the mob of birds to seize the moments of feeding opportunity.

Drake Mallard	Female Mallard
Mute Swan	Canada Goose
Feral Pigeon	Jackdaw

We walked upstream to the Roman Bridge hoping to see a Dipper. The water level on the river seemed a bit high for their habit of walking on the riverbed. We did see Pied Wagtails and Moorhens feeding on the damp grass. Sadly no Dippers, but back beside the car John spotted a singing Dunnock near where I’d seen the Blue Tit. After photographing the Dunnock, a pair of Collared Doves descended onto the path from one of the tall trees that line the riverbank.

Pied Wagtail	Moorhen
Dunnock	Collared Dove

 Satisfied with our haul of pictures at Millhill, we drove along Goosegreen Crescent towards our usual parking spot near the Cadet Hall, stopping briefly to allow John to snap some Wigeons we noticed paddling along the river.

After parking the car we walked by the sea wall that lines the east side of the mouth of the River Esk. The tide was high and still rising. The view to the west shows the much of Edinburgh and Arthur’s Seat shrouded in mist.

John beckoned me over to the sea wall to see the birds that were foraging near the water’s edge. A Redshank was leading the way, while a dozen or so Turnstones negotiated the many small boulders and patches of seaweed in their search for food. We heard much twittering coming from the bushes across the path behind us. On investigation I located a pair of unusually accommodating male Linnets. John saw that another tolerant bird was a bit further along the seawall - a Carrion Crow with a beakful of what seem to me to be small shells. We continued along the path, eventually moving east of the Esk mouth. John alerted me a couple of times as various sets of birds passed by, including Eiders and Goldeneyes.

Redshank	Turnstone
Linnet	Carrion Crow
Eider	Goldeneye

We eventually reached the access paths to the “New Scrapes” a quick look westwards revealed that the mist was lifting as we could now see Arthur’s Seat, albeit in silhouette.

As we trekked along the access path and eagle-eyed John declared, “Pheasant alert!”, and sure enough there was a cock Pheasant loitering among the saplings in the recently created nature reserve.

Below is the view from inside of the first hide, looking across the scrapes. Note the Edinburgh skyline in the distance.

 80+ Bar-tailed Godwits  were huddled on one of the shingle banks, a few with heads high enough to show their familiar long, straight beaks. A small number of Wigeons were dabbling in the water, while to our right, about 30 Redshanks were roosting. We relocated to another hide on the south side of the scrapes. Invisible to my naked eye, but easily picked up by John’s bin-aided eyes, a single Curlew was wandering the shingle on the north side. I was pleased to track a flying Lapwing as it passed over an assembled flock of snoozing Oystercatchers. Before we left the new reserve I found a wildflower in bloom - a Red Deadnettle.

Bar-tailed Godwit	Wigeon
Redshank	Curlew
Lapwing	Red Deadnettle

A final view of the familiar Edinburgh skyline:

We drove to the Levenhall Links car park and set off for the “Old Scrapes” via the seawall. We were both surprised to see a flock of about 60 Wigeon when we peered over the seawall.

The Wigeon flock consisted of similar number of male and female birds. As we progressed westwards along the puddle-strewn road by the wall, a few Cormorants flew past and John spotted a drake Red-breasted Merganser . But then, with his nose, he pointed to a pair of Dunlin that were exploring a large puddle that we were standing beside. Like the Linnets earlier, they were not for flying off. I suppose they were desperately hungry so we were careful not to put them up and left them undisturbed. Just before we turned off of the road, we encountered a winter-plumage Slavonian Grebe as it made repeated dives quite close to the seawall.

Wigeon	Cormorant
Red-breasted Merganser	Lapwing
Dunlin	Slavonian Grebe

It was at this point that an unusual event occurred - the sun came out. That is why the picture of Lapwings and Curlew, taken from the middle hide, is in glorious technicolour.

I snapped a Curlew which was a bit nearer the hide, and also a Magpie. We moved to the leftmost hide and got close and still-coloured views of an Oystercatcher and some argumentative Shelducks……

Curlew	Magpie
Oystercatcher	Shelduck

…… and below is the evidence of how quarrelsome the Shelducks were. Note the dipped head of the angry drake on the right as it lunged towards the drake on the left. The Shelducks on the water are females.

John continued his super spotting by picking out a couple of winter plumage Long-tailed Ducks that were diving in the shallow water. He also discovered a Grey Heron nestling half-hidden in reeds far to the left of the hide. Just as we left the hide, a flock of Wigeon flew in from the Firth of Forth, very possibly the birds I’d photographed a bit earlier from the seawall. I met a couple of fellow nature-watchers on the path out the hide. They had been examining some fungi, Yellow Brain, that was growing on a dead gorse bush and kindly directed me to it.

Long-tailed Duck	Grey Heron
Wigeon	Yellow Brain Fungus

We started the day feeling, rather pessimistically, that we were in for a lean time photographically speaking. However, although we were disappointed with the low light levels, we encountered an over-abundance of sightings and ended up with pictures of 37 species (not including above: Herring and Black-headed Gulls, Teal and Wood Pigeon). My favourite sightings were of the Shelducks, Dunlins, Slavonian Grebe and Long-tailed Ducks. If the weather is to be as dull next week I hope we have as productive a visit as we had at Musselburgh.

Week ending: 4th February 2024: Barns Ness, Dunbar Harbour and Belhaven Bay

Yet another wet and wind Sunday was predicted for Central Scotland and the best chance of dodging the rain was in the east - hence I chose to visit Barns Ness, which is just east of Dunbar. We stopped off at Dalkeith Morrisons before we reached the M1, and enjoyed a couple of small breakfasts (9.5/10: very good meals but the service was a bit on the slow side).

When we arrived at Barns Ness, the tide was low and falling and there was no rain, but it was fairly breezy. When I was paying my car park fees through RingGo, I heard a skein of geese, most probably Pink-footed Geese, flying past in the distance.

We made our way to the shore, which is adjacent to the car park, and John spotted that there were quite a few small waders foraging the damp sands and rocks.

A large Carrion Crow stood a few metres from us as it raked through a small seaweed pile that was on the grassy foreshore. A Common Gull was standing on the sands among the hard-working Dunlins. About 40m out a pair of Shelducks were paddling and dabbling in shallow water just beyond them, a tiny Little Grebe  was diving. A pair of Mallards also came paddling into view from behind some rocks.

Carrion Crow	Common Gull
Dunlin	Shelduck
Little Grebe	Mallard

John noticed a sizeable flock of birds taking flight from the shore adjacent to the lighthouse. They circled the bay for a short time before disappearing to the east.

I managed a few shots when the GoldenPlovers came closest from which I could see that they were indeed Golden Plovers. The Dunlins too were flighty, as were the few Oystercatchers we could see. Also, John spotted a Curlew poking about the shallow pools.

Golden Plover	Dunlin...
Oystercatcher..
	Curlew

John, whose eye was most definitely in, also noticed a Skylark, crest raised, standing on the sandy beach a few metres away from us. The Shelducks we’d seen earlier paddled much closer allowing a better photo to be taken. We moved east from the very productive first shore and expected to see the Golden Plover flock on the rocky shore by the lighthouse, how we were disappointed. I did though manage a pleasing shot of a passing Shag, thanks to an early warning of its approach from John.

Skylark	Shelduck
Carrion Crow	Shag

Looking far out into the North Sea we could just make out the wind turbines of the Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm. 

I snapped a Herring Gull in flight over the exposed rocks of the shore to the east of the lighthouse. Meanwhile John caught sight of a Male Stonechat that was hunting for invertebrates in the piles of rotting seaweed that littered the sandy beach. Next I got photographs of a Carrion Crow and a Great Black-backed Gull as they flew over the rocks.

Herring Gull	Stonechat
Carrion Crow	Great Black-backed Gull

It had not rained up until this point, but we noticed that Torness Power Station, about a mile and a half to the east was becoming less visible as it became enveloped in drizzle.

We persevered with our exploration of the shore and thank goodness we did because John and his binoculars found a small flock of Bar-tailed Godwits. Like the Dunlins we’d seen, they were busily working the shallows. The poor light and annoying drizzle worsened so we headed back to the car, photographing some Gorse flowers and Scots Pine  cones on the way.

Bar-tailed Godwit...
Gorse

We drove to the relatively sheltered Dunbar Harbour to see if any other creatures had the same idea. We parked at the harbour’s edge and I managed a shot of a Herring Gull with a quizzical look and also an immature Herring Gull in the water below. We ventured over to the opposite side of the harbour to the Battery but we only saw a couple birds there: a distant drake Eider and a passing Cormorant. Back at the car we noticed Eiders paddling into the harbour, enabling some pleasing close shots. John’s day was made when “Sammy” the Grey Seal surfaced metres from where we were standing. It was showing an interest in the small fishing boats from which fishermen were throwing scraps of food.

Herring Gull	3rd Cycle Herring Gull
Male Eider...	Cormorant
Female Eider
Grey Seal...

We ended the afternoon at Belhaven Bay. We parked at the Shore Road car park where we intended only to have our usual tea and Strawberry Tarts. However, while I was preparing the tea, John noticed that there was a Little Egret  standing in the grassy saltmarsh adjacent to where our car was parked. The Egret was commuting between the marsh and a drainage ditch/ burn where it was able to fish when undisturbed by passers-by and their dogs. While watching the Egret I snapped some record shots of other birds on the exposed sands of the inner bay: a pair of Oystercatchers, a Redshank and some dabbling Teal. A Grey Heron flew over the sands from the Seafield Pond (not visited due to poor light). I captured an image of a Redshank passing the Little Egret as it stood on the marsh, shortly before it took off and flew towards the nearby Winterfield golf course.

Little Egret...	Oystercatcher
Teal	Grey Heron

ON THE WATER

PORTRAIT

ON A BRANCH

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