Archive - May 2025


Archive - May 2025

Week ending: 25th May : Musselburgh and RSPB Lochwinnoch

Arguably, the most remarkable fact in this week’s blog is that the brilliant sunny weather in Central Scotland stretched into a fifth week. I, of course, continued to take advantage of the wonderful conditions by taking my cameras a walk to interesting places - this week I visited Musselburgh and Lochwinnoch.

Tuesday, 20th May: Musselburgh “New” Scrapes:

It was a “jacket-off” type of day at Musselburgh. The tide was pretty low and I began my day at the river Esk at the Millhill car park.

Clouds	Rain	Tides

Courtesy of Open Street Map and BBC Tides

It was pretty quiet there but there were plenty of swans…..

…. ducks, crows and pigeons about. At the base of one of the riverside trees a Coal Tit fledgling looked lost, so I took a quick couple of shots and moved on in case I was preventing its parent from helping it.

Mallard	Carrion Crow

Feral Pigeon	Juvenile Coal Tit

I relocated to the mouth of the Esk at the end of Goosegreen Place near the Cadet Hall. The view from the seawall at the hall exemplifies my earlier description of the weather conditions. Note the healthy number of Mute Swans along the side of the estuary.

Apart from the many swans, there was only a pair of Eiders sitting on the near bank for my camera to capture. I decided therefore to check out the new scrapes and at the first hide a Skylark was belting out its melodious tones, perched on a fencepost a few metres from the hide. On my way to the next hide I heard and then photographed, first a twittering Goldfinch and then a warbling Whitethroat, each high in pathside trees.

Eider	Skylark

Goldfinch	Whitethroat

From the second and third hides I had fine, if a bit distant, views of Oysterchatchers and …

… a female Pheasant and a large drake Shelduck on a central scrape. Also, a Canada Goose was lounging on a grassy bank, sitting with its wings partially spread in order to cool off under the warm rays of the Sun.

Female Pheasant	Shelduck

Canada Goose	Lesser Black - backed Gull

On my way to the last hide I snapped Spear Thistle flower heads, and there was a small Common Candy-striped Spider on the gate handle. Beside the gate a lone Weld plant was just coming into flower behind the wire fence. A clump of vivid yellow Birds-foot Trefoil flowers made a fine sight just before the gate to the last hide.

Spear Thistle	Common Candy Striped Spider

Weld	Common - bird's Foot Trefoil

Below is the view of the New Scrapes taken from the final hide.

The only pictures I added to my collection at the final hide were shots of a Bluebottle, Calliphora vicina, resting beside me, and some White Campion flowers on the verges of the entrance path. My walk back to the car took me alongside the sea wall where I spotted a Curlew that was
foraging on the shore. Also, there were a dozen or so House Martins circulating the Cadet Hall. Occasionally they landed on the sandy shore adjacent to the Hall, which allowed me to photograph them.

Bluebottle	White Campion

Curlew	House Martin

My final picture taken at Musselburgh was of the Mute Swans on the Esk Estuary looking over the exposed sands at low tide.

Wednesday, 21st May: RSPB Lochwinnoch:

The next day the weather hadn’t changed, so I ventured west to the RSPB reserve at Lochwinnoch, where a relatively rare bird, a Pectoral Sandpiper, had been reported in previous days. Also, a pair of Little Ringed Plovers were seen there, so I was looking forward to finding and
photographing them, as well as the other less prestigious birds. When I arrived at the reserve I headed for the Channel Hide which perhaps offers the best views over the scrapes. I was pleased to see a beautiful Lapwing at the waters edge very close to the left side of the hide. A little bit further away there was a Common Snipe probing the shallows with its dagger-like beak as it searched for invertebrates. Further back still, I thought I’d spotted one of the Little Ringed Plovers, but alas, although it had a fairly obvious yellow ring around its eyes, its beak was orange rather than black - so it was a Common Ringed Plover. There was no such confusion with the Coot that passed below me around the hide (although beginners often confuse Coots with Moorhens).

Lapwing	Common Snipe

Ringed Plover	Coot

A pair of fine drake Shovelers paddled up the channel into the scrapes, and soon took up obscure positions at the rear of the area. As I photographed a Wigeon and Teal that were on a grassy bank at the left edge of the scrapes, the Pectoral Sandpiper showed up briefly just
beyond those birds. Annoyingly, it was chased off deeper into the scapes by a couple of irate Lapwings. A lone Redshank was also chased, but flew in the opposite direction - and landed just left of the Channel Hide.

Shoveler	Wigeon / Teal

Pectoral Sandpiper	Redshank

After snapping the Redshank, my attention was drawn to the far right-hand side of the scrape where a few Lapwings were making quite a bit of noise. It turned out a Lapwing pair were guarding their chicks. I just about managed to get some half-decent shots despite the chicks being so small and distant in long grass. At about the same time, perhaps because of the disturbance, a female Mallard emerged with her pair of ducklings from reeds on the right-hand side of the scrape. A little later I noticed that there were two Canada Geese families on the other side of the channel.

Mallard Duckling...

Lapwing...

Canada Goose...

They were very mobile and soon one set of goslings was opposite the hide…

…. and then they entered the water.

With their goslings paddling and feeding contentedly in the water, their parents had a wee nibble of the grass while keeping a watchful eye over the scene, lest some predator should pinch one of their vulnerable goslings. I counted at least three Black-headed Gulls on nests at the back edges of the Scrapes. They were just as noisy sitting on eggs as they usually are in the air. After disappearing into the undergrowth in order to evade the aggressive Lapwings, the Pectoral Sandpiper re-emerged onto a sandy spit and began to forage. A bonny Teal paddled by close to
the hide. It was probably the same bird I’d seen earlier near the Wigeon. After that I thought I’d check out the feeding stations for such birds as Nuthatch, Redpoll or Siskin, however the station at the children’s play area was very quiet with only a couple of Collared Doves bothering
the camera. The station by the picnic tables in front of the Visitor Centre was gone altogether and the area fenced off, obviously under development.

Canada Goose	Black - headed Gull

Pectoral Sandpiper...

Teal	Collared Dove

With 34 species photographed, I consider my couple of outings as being successful. My favourites at Musselburgh were the young Coal Tit, female Pheasant and Whitethroat and at Lochwinnoch I enjoyed seeing the Pectoral Sandpiper and the various baby birds, especially the
Lapwing chicks. On Friday night the weather reverted back to the more usual cloud, rain and wind, which persisted through the weekend. The prospects for the week ahead were similar. I will though make the best of it and try to get some pictures between showers.

Week ending: 18th May: Strathclyde Country Park, Dalzell Estate, RSPB Baron’s Haugh

The excellent weather continued into a fourth week, creating records for Scotland at this time of the year. I, of course, was delighted to take my camera for a stroll and I’ve ended up with a pleasing collection of interesting sightings.

Tuesday, 13th-16th May: Strathclyde Country Park

I made a few brief midweek visits to Strathclyde Country Park and the sightings below are just a short selection of the many pictures I took. At the dipping pond just south of the Roman Bathhouse I found very active Azure Damselflies and Large Red Damselflies by the edges of the water. There were several “linked” pairs in the process of mating which included the depositing of eggs into the water. Also included below is a shot of Common Vetch which is now coming into bloom opposite the Watersports Centre. While taking an outdoor tea at the Alona Hotel, an audacious Magpie joined me at the table and demanded some of my scone. No chance big boy!

Male Azure Damselfly	Female Azure Damselfly

Making Azure Damselflies	Large Red Damselfly

Common Vetch	Magpie

Also worthy of a mention are Wood Avens (also known as Herb Bennet), which are blooming profusely in all areas of the Park.

A Robin was singing from high branches among the conifers by the footpath that runs from the underpass beneath the M74 and Hamilton Road.

Thursday, 15th May: Dalzell Estate

On Thursday I decided to walk around Barons Haugh, starting the walk by passing through Dalzell Estate (which is adjacent to, and to the east of the Haugh). The first thing that caught my eye was the delightful evergreen shrub, Rhodedendron sappho which was the pick of the rhododendrons that were growing in the Japanese Garden. Near that garden, in another rather more wild garden, there were a few Bugle plants and a sizeable patch of the small umbilifer, Pignut. The main path leads to a small bridge across the Dalzell Burn, where there were significant areas of Piggyback Plants. A member of the Saxifrage family, these plants are non-native to the UK.

Rhodedendron sappho	Bugle

Pignut	Piggy Back Plant

Next I crossed a sloping field, called Easter Braes, down to the banks of the River Clyde. The Braes are partially populated with mainly Horse Chestnut and Hawthorn trees, both of which were in glorious bloom. Near the Clyde I found some beautiful Water Avens growing. A pair of Mute
Swans were preening on the opposite side of the river.

Horse Chestnut

Common Hawthorn...

Water Avens	Mute Swan

The view below shows the River Clyde, looking downstream from the Dalzell Estate into the southern boundary of RSPB Baron’s Haugh - where I was next headed.

Thursday, 15th May: RSPB Baron’s Haugh

I made my way through a metal gate into Baron’s Haugh and immediately heard and then photographed a Willow Warbler. Common Comfrey was in blossom with Carder Bees and Tree Bumblebees working their way through the many flower heads in the search for pollen and nectar. A Chiffchaff was the next bird to sing in my direction - a song very different from the similar-looking Willow Warbler. A pair of Canada Geese were standing at the river’s edge, aware of my presence but standing their ground as I passed. The tiny cross-shaped flowers of Crosswort was next to catch my eye.

Willow Warbler	Common Carder Bumblebee

Tree Bumblebee	Chiffchaff

Canada Goose	Crosswort

The long straight path felt unfamiliar, probably because the RSPB have decided to close it and withdraw its maintenance due to serious water erosion at various points along its length. Despite this, my sightings were stacking up. When I stopped to photograph a Welsh Poppy, a Honey Bee descended onto its stamen. Then two butterflies appeared: a Green-veined White and Small Copper , followed by a Buttercup Blacklet, Cheilosia albitarsi s. I then found two Stitchwort species, each with star-shaped flowers: Greater Stitchwort and Wood Stitchwort.

Honey Bee / Welsh Poppy	Green - veined White Butterfly

Small Copper Butterfly	Hoverfly - Cheilosia albitarsis

Greater Stitchwort	Wood Stitchwort

I literally walked into a tiny caterpillar that was suspended in midair on a gossamer thread (which I found out is called “ballooning”). Unfortunately I’ve been unable to identify it. Another couple of butterflies flew across my path: a Speckled Wood followed by an Orange Tip female. As happened last week, The male Orange Tips were passing fairly often but they didn’t stop long enough to allow me to snap them. A Dark-edged Bee Fly landed on some grass stems and it did allow me time to get a half decent picture. Eventually I reached the site of a major
redevelopment of the reserve at the former site of the Phoenix Hide. It is no more and there is now a huge gap in the bund, apparently to allow water to enter the haugh when the river rises. There were a couple of birds on the water: a female Mallard and a large Mute Swan.

	Speckled Wood Butterfly

Female Orange Tip Butterfly	Dark - edged Beefly

Female Mallard	Mute Swan

I crossed over the gap to reach the continuation of the path on the other side and was immediately rewarded with a pleasing snap of a Marmalade Hoverfly hovering over a Dandelion. On the otherwise bare, re-sculptured banks of the bund, tall Garlic Mustard flowers stood overlooking the river. Leaving the riverside, I headed for the car park but was surprised to find a Roe Buck strolling down the edge of a farmers field. I stood very still and photographed it as it moved unwittingly towards me. It obviously didn’t see me, but it scampered when a dog walker appeared. I did a quick check of the Marsh Hide but it was very quiet. I did though snap some Silverweed outside the hide and a flight shot of an aggressive Mute Swan.

Marmalade Hoverfly	Garlic Mustard

Roe Deer...

Silverweed	Mute Swan

My final shot was of the angry Mute Swan touching down a bit too near the nest of another Mute Swan. Also in the frame are a couple of Mallards, Coots and a Grey Heron.

It was a fairly successful week which produced a pleasing collection of sightings (42 species). My favourites were the Roe deer, Damselflies and the four butterflies. Hopefully the nice weather might stretch to another week.

Week ending: 11th May: Hogganfield Park LNR, Strathclyde Country Park, Aviemore

The bright sunny weather continued for a third week and I managed another short holiday to take advantage of that. But I did venture out with the camera at the start of the week and managed some seasonal sightings.

Monday 5th and Wednesday 7th May: Hogganfield Park LNR

At Hogganfield Park LNR I encountered a family of Coot chicks….

… shepherded by anxious parents as the chicks wandered oblivious to the risks, one of which, a large Grey Heron, was lurking not that far from the coots. Nearby, on the banks of the loch, Carder Bees were busy feeding on fresh Common Comfrey blooms.


Grey Heron	Common Carder Bumblebee

On the rough ground at the eastern boundary of the reserve, I found Yellow Archangel, a pretty yellow flower that is considered to be “invasive” due to its ease of spreading in gardens. In the same area a white blob of Slime Mould was on the end of a sawn log. A handsome Woodpigeon watched me as I snapped a Black-headed Gull probing the water with its bright red beak.

Yellow Archangel	Slime Mould

Wood Pigeon	Black - headed Gull

The skies and water in the loch were still blue a couple of days later when I photographed an amorous pair of Tufted Ducks and a drake Goosander that threw his head back hoping it would attract the females.

Drake Tufted Duck	Female Tufted Duck

Drake Goosander	Female Goosander

But the award for the most amorous birds in the park has to go to a pair of romantic Great Crested Grebes that were performing their ancient “courtship and weed” dance.

Great Crested Grebe...

No such extravagant antics from the drake Mallard that followed me expecting a bit of bread. Nor was there much displaying made by a juvenile Cormorant from its perch in the heart of the loch. However, I do suspect there was something to do with courtship going on at a large buoy, a well used perching spot where a gathering of Lesser Black-backed Gulls were very active. I disturbed a pair of Magpies that were foraging in a grassy area near the island.

Mallard	Juvenile Cormorant

Lesser Black - backed Gull	Magpie

I was delighted to see a line of Canada Geese paddling past - four yellow goslings sandwiched between two adults.

I couldn’t find where they were travelling to since they disappeared along the channel behind the lsland.

I did though get a bit of a surprise as I was photographing a Great Crested Grebe as it sat in its nest, when something moved on its right. It was a turtle.

I’ve been unable to identify the turtle, but I’ll try to get a better shot of it. It is probably a discarded pet. I managed to get a clear shot of a male Blackcap that was moving through branches in trees near the Avenue End Road entrance to the park. That was followed by shot of a Common Whitethroat (my first of 2025), a Jackdaw and a Starling in a hurry. My final shot at Hogganfield was of a Yellow Flag Iris that was just coming into bloom.

Turtle ( TBC)	Blackcap

Whitethroat	Jackdaw

Starling	Yellow Flag Iris

Tuesday 6th May: Strathclyde Country Park

My brief visit to Strathclyde Park yielded a few shots of interest: Hooded X Carrion Crow at the head of Strathclyde Loch followed by a picture of a Comma Butterfly taken near the Bothwellhaugh football pitches. I concluded with yet more young birds, this time they were of Greylag Geese. The adult birds stood around the goslings as they nibbled at the grass and fended off any perceived dangers with honking and threatening gestures.

Hooded Crow X Carrion Crow	Comma Butterfly

Greylag Goose...	... Goslings

Thursday 8th May: RSPB Baron’s Haugh

On Thursday I headed for Baron’s Haugh when I heard that a Little Ringed Plover was showing there. On my way down to the Causeway Hide I stopped to photograph, first, a Common Whitethroat near the car park, and then a Green-veined White butterfly just outside the hide. Once in the hide, a generous fellow birder pointed out the Little Ringed Plover, as well as the Common Sandpiper it was chasing. As a further added bonus, a Sedge Warbler began singing on reeds close to the hide and an easy photo ensued. On my way back up to the car park, my short visit to the Haugh was rounded off nicely when I encountered a Peacock butterfly.

Whitethroat	Green - veined White Butterfly

Little Ringed Plover	Common Sandpiper

Sedge Warbler	Peacock Butterfly

Saturday 10th May: undisclosed location near Aviemore, Perth

My weekend was spent in and around Aviemore, in the Cairngorms National Park. I stopped briefly an Loch Insh and was pleased to see an Osprey catching and carrying away a fish. Sadly I missed the moment it caught the fish. By the time I had the camera in my hand it was already in the air with the fish. On my trip home, my car had a puncture which necessitated a visit to a garage in Perth. As I waited to get a new tyre fitted I noticed about a dozen young House Martins darting around the forecourt and disappearing under the eaves of surrounding units. You will not be surprised to read that I took advantage of the situation to shoot some pleasing pictures.

Osprey...


House Martin...

Week ending: 4th May 2025: RSPB Lochwinnoch

Due to a short holiday, my adventures with my camera were limited to one site this week: RSPB Lochwinnoch. The weather was a bit cold but otherwise it was perfect for photography and with flowers and insects beginning to emerge after the winter I was looking forward to an exploration of the beautiful reserve.

Cloud	Rain

Courtesy of Open Street Map

I began at the Channel Hide where a pair of Canada Geese were carefully shepherding their new, fluffy, yellow goslings as they nibbled at the grass on the grassy banks of the scrapes.

Other birds gave the family a wide berth as any interlopers were met with aggressive signals such as honking, wing flaps and lowering of the head and neck. On the other side of the channel a Lapwing picked its way along the waters edge.


Canada Goose Gosling	Lapwing

Near the Lapwing, a Redshank was wading in the shallows, pausing occasionally to preen its feathers. A pair of Jackdaws were foraging in the long grass before flying further back into the scrapes. I could see Wigeons and Black-tailed Godwits in the water feeding in the more distant
parts of the scrape.

Redshank	Jackdaw

Wigeon	Black - tailed Godwit

I decided to walk around the trail that leads to the fairly recently constructed boardwalk that leads to the ruin of Peel Tower. I was pleased to find quite a few insect species, such as a pair of butterflies: Orange Tip and Green-veined White. Next I came across my first damselfly of the year, a Large Red Damselfly sunning itself on a large leaf. In the same leafy patch there were hoverflies, probably Eristalis Arbustorum, and the snout-nosed, Rhingia rostrata .

Orange Tip Butterfly...

Green - veined White Butterfly...

Large Red Damselfly	Hoverfly - Rhingia Rostrata / Eristalis Arbustorum

The appearance of the insects, of course, is linked to the emergence of flowers by the symbiotic relationship that flowers provide food for insects while insects help flowers reproduce by spreading their pollen. A poorly-appreciated fact is that flowers are beautiful in order to attract insects rather than humans. As I walked the trail I photographed Red Campion, Wood Forget Me Nots, Bush Vetch and Woodruff .

Red Campion	Wood Forget - Me - Not

Bush Vetch	Woodruff

Gaps in the tree-lined footpath allowed views of the Aird Meadow. A pair of Canada Geese were quarrelling as they paddled along a channel near the path.

After the geese passed, a drake Shoveler appeared and offered fine views of its beautiful plumage. At a lochside viewpoint I scanned the loch and noticed Cormorants perched on a raft some 150m away. Quite a few Black-headed Gulls were on the loch and I could see why ….

Shoveler...

Cormorant	Black - headed Gull

.... when I realised that there were several other rafts that are intended for nesting Gulls and Terns.

As I approached the boardwalk I was lucky enough to get a shot of a female Blackcap that was hopping branch-to-branch in low bushes. Walking the boardwalk I was delighted to hear, then see and then photograph, first, a Willow Warbler and then a Sedge Warbler. The latter was very obliging and posed a while, enabling me to get some decent images.

Female Blackcap	Willow Warbler

Sedge Warbler...

The Peel Tower was reached but, not being a circular route I had to retrace my steps back to the visitor centre. However this provided a welcome opportunity to make more sightings. Wood Sorrel, Piggyback Plant , Large Bittercress and Herb Robert were all in bloom along the edges of the path.

Wood Sorrel	Piggy Back Plant

Large Bittercress	Herb Robert

Very pretty white flowers of Bog Bean lined large areas of the water edges .

The white, fringed petals and deep red stamens of the Bog Bean flowers are stunning - the insects which necessitated this design have immaculate taste. Water Avens too are very attractive. Almost hidden under overhanging tree branches, tiny Dog Violets are worth looking for.
It’s hard to miss the large golden blooms of Marsh Marigolds which sprout at the damp water edges around the loch. While I was photographing a Wild Strawberry plant I snapped a hoverfly that imitates a bumble bee. It is called a Dimorphic Bearfly Hoverfly, Criorhina berberina.

Bog Bean	Water Avens

Dog Violet	Marsh Marigold

Wild Strawberry	Hoverfly - Criorhina berberina

Below is a view of an area that has been specially designed to attract and accommodate Sand Martins. Note the wooden structure mid-left at the rear of the pools. Unfortunately I didn’t see any Sand Martins. It’s early days though.

As I neared the end of my walk I encountered a rather lonely-looking Canada Goose, alone in an isolated pool. I was joined by a Robin which obviously had a strategy for approaching humans just close enough for them to chuck it some food. During this game a second Robin, perhaps a mate of the first, sneaked around a tree with a beakful of flies. Obviously it had been acquiring food the old-fashione way. My final shot of the trip was of a Perennial Cornflower that was flowering on a grassy bank in the car park. Note the Rhingia rostrata that was crawling among the petals.

Robin...

Canada Goose	Perennial Cornflower

It was a very entertaining and successful outing, with 32 species photographed, including a newbie, Dimorphic Bear Fly. With the good spell of weather set to continue, I’m already looking forward to my next trip.

Highlights - May 2025

We present this month’s gallery of my favourite pictures I’ve taken during May 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.

GEESE, SWANS AND DUCKS