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Week ending: 4th January: RSPB Baron’s Haugh, Dalzell Estate, Motherwell
With seasonal festivities taking up my time for most of this week, I was pleased that a window of
opportunity appeared on Friday. I was lucky that the weather was bright and rain-free but it was
very cold (with a frosty sub-zero temperature in the morning).
Friday AM, 2nd January: RSPB Baron’s Haugh
I chose to visit RSPB Baron’s Haugh, my local reserve and was soon walking west out of the car
park, following the footpath through the wild fields that would take me down to the hides that
overlook the Haugh. It wasn’t long though before I came upon a group of Goldfinches …….
…..that were feeding on tall seed-heads in grassland beside the path. Also seen In the same area
were a very sociable Robin, a Blackbird and some Redwings munching haw berries.
| Goldfinch |
Robin |
 |
 |
| Blackbird |
Redwing |
 |
 |
…. and there were lots of berries.
Below is the view of the Haugh, seen from the path from the car park.
I eventually reached the Marsh hide only to find that the water on the scrapes was largely, but not
entirely frozen.
Coots, Mallards and Wigeons were standing on the ice, while Gadwalls and Teal found a
small area of ice-free water. A couple of Moorhens were foraging in the reeds near the hide.
| Coot... |
|
 |
 |
| Drake Gadwall |
Female Gadwall |
 |
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| Teal |
Moorhen |
 |
 |
Other ducks on the ice were Wigeons, Mallards and Teals. The Coots were particularly active. A
young Black-headed gull was following its parent - who was checking out the skies.
| Drake Wigeon |
Female Wigeon |
 |
 |
| Drake Mallard |
Teal / Coot |
 |
 |
| Black - headed Gull |
1st Cycle Black - headed Gull |
 |
 |
Away to the left of the scrapes, I saw that a line of four Whooper Swans had been able to
penetrate the ice there. Lapwings flew in as I photographed the swans.
The Lapwings settled and began preening.
The Whoopers seemed happy enough dipping in the cold waters. Next I left the Marsh hide and
headed for the Causeway hide. I came across a Dunnock that was on the path. There was
also a couple of fungi, Turkeytail and Blushing Bracket, just of the main path to the
next hide.
| Whooper Swan |
Dunnock |
 |
 |
| Turkey Tail |
Blushing Bracket |
 |
 |
A pair of Carrion Crows were calling to each other from a high branch of a tree near the gate into
Causeway hide. A drowsy-looking Magpie was soaking up the sunshine as it dozed in a Hawthorn
bush. As I neared the hide I also noticed a frozen Gorse bush was still in flower. The low Sun cast
long shadows along the path.
| Carrion Crow |
Magpie |
 |
 |
| Gorse |
Causeway Hide |
 |
 |
Again, unsurprisingly, I found the Haugh waters were mainly iced-over…..
…… but some Teals. Mallards and Coots had discovered some ice-free water far to the right of
the hide. There were many more birds in front of the hide, mainly Lapwings and Teals. They were
back-lit by the low sunshine which made photography problematic.
| Drake Teal |
Drake Mallard |
 |
 |
| Coot |
Lapwing |
 |
 |
I decided to check the River Clyde to see if there were any birds on what I expected to be water
with little or no ice - and that’s exactly what I found, as the picture below of a line of merry
Mallards shows.
A pair of Mallards were having a great time diving near the breach in the bund that connects the
Haugh with the river, when the river is in spate. In the same area a lone drake Goldeneye was
repeatedly diving for food. On my way back up the hill, by the alternative path west of the fields, I
got a distant record shot of a Great Tit. And at the top of the hill I found a wee nippy Goldcrest that was foraging on tall herbs for food. After tracking it for quite a few minutes and after
quite a few failed attempts I managed a few pleasing shots.
| Mallard |
Goldeneye |
 |
 |
| Great Tit |
Goldcrest |
 |
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Friday PM, 2nd January: Dalzell Estate, Motherwell
After a short break in the car for tea and biscuits, I decided to make a brief visit to the
neighbouring site, Dalzell Estate, which is literally a stones throw away from Baron’s Haugh
Reserve. As I walked from the car, a cheeky Magpie strode beside me. I, of course, photographed
it and continued into the Dalzell Estate. I immediately got a nice shot of a Grey Squirrel. That
wasn’t the last one I saw. Some people believe that Grey Squirrels hibernate, but that’s untrue. As
I walked through the wooded paths of the estate I frequently heard the calls of Nuthatches and it
wasn’t long before a Nuthatch appeared on a tree bough above the path I was on.
Although it was back-lit, I managed (with the assistance of Photoshop) to produce a couple of
reasonable shots of the wee bird.
The forest paths of the estate make it a very pleasant place to walk, and a great place for birds -
like woodpigeons, to live. I’ve also found lots of fungi there, such as the Candlesnuff fungus
shown below. My final shot shows the view looking north, up Manse Road from the road end.
|
Wood Pigeon |
 |
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| Candlesnuff Fungus |
|
 |
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With 29 species photographed in a few hours, in fairly cold conditions, I’m satisfied that the trip
was a success. My favourite shots were the Goldfinches, Redwings and Goldcrest in Baron’s
Haugh and the Nuthatch and Grey Squirrel in Dalzell Estate. Cold conditions, and even another
named storm, are expected to continue next week - well, it is Winter
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