Stirlingshire and Clackmannanshire

[MacGee]

I hope everyone who lives in Stirlingshire and Clackmannanshire or who ever goes birding here will share their experiences in this thread.

For my first 'Local Patch' walk I went from the house up to the old cemetery at Logie Kirk. Swallows flew over my head while I watched three Buzzards soaring on thermals where the Ochils rise up. That's always a good place to see Buzzards. Pigeons also zoomed over with even greater urgency than usual. I wondered if the buzzards made them nervous. I couldn't see what sort they were.

Then I went into Stirling University grounds for a circuit of Aithrey Loch. A lot of the winter visitors are gone now and it's mostly the old lags - Mallards, Coots, Moorhens, Mute Swans. There was a solitary male Goosander, who seems to have opted for the easy life pinching bread from under the noses of the mallards. Can't be good for him. Also a Wren and Dunnock by the water's edge. The Swan Goose is still there, but seems to have matured and become less noisy and greedy. Lots of Orange Tip butterflies and a Green-veined White, which obligingly sat down near me with its wings folded up so that I could get a good look at the green veins.

On the way home I walked along the Allan Water, hoping the first House Martins had arrived, but either they hadn't or I missed them.

Well, not a day that will live in the history of birding; I'd hoped to get the thread off to a more fruitful start, but at least it's off to a start.

Michael.

[delia todd]

Thanks for starting this thread Michael, I'll follow it with interest as I know so little of the birding scene in that area.

D

[MacGee]

The Darn Walk is, along with Airthrey Loch, our local fall-back walk and we take it a bit for granted. But on a sunny, spring, bluebelly day like today I was reminded how beautiful it is.

The second part of the walk, though away from the river, is mostly bordered by stone walls and often stony under foot, which makes it a sun-trap. On a warm day you pass large numbers of butterflies, bumblebees, hoverflies and other insects. I wish I could identify more of them, but I think there are more insect species than I have brain cells. There were Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Orange Tip and Green-veined White butterflies, Red-tailed and Buff-tailed bumblebees and (I think) a Sphaerophoria Scripta hoverfly.

As for birds, I was starting to think it was going to be one of those days when a few Mallards, Chaffinches and corvids were all I was going to see, but as often happens after thinking that, some more unusual birds eventually did appear. The first was a Song Thrush. (Both kind of Thrushes used to be regular visitors to our garden, but I haven't seen any there for quite a while). Then a trio of Tits close together, Great Tit, Coal Tit and Blue Tit. I'm still looking for a Long-tailed Tit for my online list (http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=850528), but no luck so far. The real highlight of the way out was a male Bullfinch.

I stopped for lunch in the Beech Tree Cafe in Dunblane and one of the waitresses, seeing my bird book, told me that they had seen an Osprey in Ashfield.

On the way back I got a good look at a female Yellowhammer. I'd stopped on the bridge over the Wharry Burn, leaned on the guard fence and just stood and stared. One of the good things about birding is that you're often rewarded for being idle.

Michael.

[MacGee]

Kilmahog (Yesterday)
Walked the bike path between Kilmahog and Strathyre, impressed by how beautiful the woods are along the way. Saw a couple of Bullfinches on the path and a Willow Warbler in a willow. I also saw something flitting in tree, that I only managed to get the bins on for a fraction of a second, but it had a pink breast. Brambling maybe? Goosanders on the Garbh Uisge (Rough Water).

Bridge of Allan
Sand Martins along the Allan Water today. I don't think I've seen them here before. Also a pair of Pied Wagtails and a Mallard. A gala day in B of A.

Michael.

Edit: The above was a bit terser than my usual inconsequential ramblings, but it was my third attempt. My first two ended when I tried to type Willow Warbler and hit Control-W instead of Shift-W! Trying to type faster than my fingers can follow. Each version was shorter and more to the point than the previous one.

[craigthirlwell]

In the last week of march there was a scaup on aithrey loch. It's a bit late. I guess it's buggered off now.

[MacGee]

In the last week of march there was a scaup on aithrey loch. It's a bit late. I guess it's buggered off now.I'm sorry I missed them, Craig. I did see Scaup at Vane Farm in March, but not any of the times I've been in April.

Michael.

[MacGee]

Hermitage Wood
The first Chiffchaff of the year and the first Cuckoo. The highlight of the walk, however was the stoat. Walking along the road, we saw a stoat carrying a rabbit at least twice its size. Just then a car came by and it dropped the prey and disappeared through an old gate into the University grounds. We walked on for a bit and then turned to watch the stoat reappear, grab the rabbit and then disappear again. It seemed to move about as fast with the rabbit as without. On the way back we had excellent views of a Kestrel manoeuvring in a near gale-force wind.

Michael.

[deborah4]

The highlight of the walk, however was the stoat. Walking along the road, we saw a stoat carrying a rabbit at least twice its size. Just then a car came by and it dropped the prey and disappeared through an old gate into the University grounds. We walked on for a bit and then turned to watch the stoat reappear, grab the rabbit and then disappear again. It seemed to move about as fast with the rabbit as without.

Michael.

Moments like that are really special - while the birds might be our main focus, I see far more other wildlife in close views than I did as a child as a consequence of simply quietly 'birding'.

Ps Just found out that Control 'M' takes me straight to my Outlook Express :'D

[MacGee]

I see far more other wildlife in close views than I did as a child as a consequence of simply quietly 'birding'.Me, too. I had an urban upbringing and birds, etc were things I read about in books.

:'D Ps Just found out that Control 'M' takes me straight to my Outlook Express I have Control-M configured to automatically sign my name. Like this

Michael.

[MacGee]

I took the Darn Walk on the way out and stopped on the bridge over the Allan Water, where I watched a Dipper collecting food for its chicks. Above my head a Willow Warbler was singing powerfully on a wire. I saw both these birds appear to leap into the air, flycatcher-style and grab a passing fly. The air was thick with mayflies.

Further along, by the golf course, a Small Copper dallied long enough for me to get a very close look at it. What a pity I came out without the Papilios.

Nothing much to report on the way back: just a couple of Song Thrushes having a territorial battle—and a guanaco.

Michael.

[MacGee]

On the way in we saw 4 Yellowhammers on a fresh dungheap; I guess dung must be particularly favourable to yellowhamming.

As soon as we left the car we heard a Willow Warbler singing out. Then all the way round there were Cuckoos calling. My wife saw a Cuckoo flying across the path in front of her, but I was busy looking at something else and missed it.

The Moss is a magical place at any time of year, but today it was looking particularly well, with cotton grass blooming everywhere. A pity about the north east wind. I was zipped up to my chin and had my winter hat and gloves on, but still wished I'd brought my scarf.

We were peering at some sundews when a Whinchat flew up, which turned out to be the first of several sightings. I was particularly pleased about that, because it was one I could add to my list (http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=850528).

Back at the car we saw a pair of Buzzards, one of them being bombed by a corvid. We had planned to go on somewhere else for a longer walk, but as we were driving away, it began to rain heavily and freezingly, so we settled for going to the cafe in Buchlyvie for a coffee and a read of the Sunday papers.

Michael.

[lee_hesp]

Great Crested Grebe on Loch Rusky near Callander last night. Not sure how common they are locally, but I've not seen one in 4 years living in the area.

[MacGee]

Great Crested Grebe on Loch Rusky near Callander last night. Not sure how common they are locally, but I've not seen one in 4 years living in the area.Welcome to the forums, Lee. I've not seen Great Crested Grebe in the area either. Let's hope they're extending their range. Since I've been living near Aithrey Loch (over 20 years) Tufted Duck, Goldeneye, Cormorants, Goosander and Little Grebe have appeared. Great Crested Grebe would be a nice addition.

Michael.

[MacGee]

Back to Flanders Moss today. We called in past on our way back from the Kilmahog-Strathyre walk. It was windless and we had the place to ourselves. Again there was lots of Cuckoo song as we walked round. Lots of Stonechats and Whinchats flitting about and a smaller number of Reed Buntings. One Common Gull. There were quite a few Green Tiger Beetles jumping on the path and a Latticed Heath moth.

Michael.

[llendorin]

I decided to get out of Fife today for a rare change and took the trip over to Gartmorn Dam, just outside Alloa this afternoon. I've been there a few times, mainly as a walker and mainly during the summer. This was probably the first time i've really experienced it during the winter months.
As i left the car park, there wasn't too much about. Just the usual Mute Swans, Mallard and plenty of Black-Headed Gulls that you would expect at a place where people feed the ducks. It gets a bit different as you start to walk away from the car park, though. It didn't take long till the wildfowl changed to Coot, Moorhen, Tufted Duck, Little Grebe and a good few Goldeneye.
The sides of the path are lined with trees, so there were plenty of other birds to be seen, such as Chaffinch, Robin, Blackbird and Redwing
A little bit further round, as I was approaching the nature reserve, i saw a couple of Cormorants on the island. Duck numbers seemed to increase tenfold in this area, too. Large numbers of tufties about here. I'm pretty sure there were over 100 of them just in this area. There were also 4 Whooper Swans here.
There is a hide at the nature reserve, quite well placed since it is where the largest concentration of birds appears to be. Unfortunately it is locked by default and you have to get the key from the visitor's centre. According to the sign on the hide itself, during the winter months it is only open 1pm - 4pm, weekends only during the winter months. They've also just built a Sand Martin bank here, which will hopefully start getting used next year.
The path moves a little bit away from the loch for a bit and through some woodland and along the edge of a field. Plenty more of the woodland birds here, with Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit and Wren added to the list above. There was also a Buzzard sitting in a large tree at the edge of the field.
Further round you have the option of continuing to walk around the edge of the loch or going up into the woodland. Well, you don't go into the woodland, but stick to the edges of it. It was quite a pleasant little walk, although i did nearly have a heart attack when a Roe Deer jumped out in front of me, no more than 15 feet away! The birds seen were much the same as seen previously. There were a couple of Woodpecker Nest boxes up in some oak trees, though no woodpeckers were seen. Just as i was returning to the main path round the loch, I saw a couple of Bullfinches in the trees.
As i returned to the loch, a quick scan revealed yet more tufties, but in addition to this there were a couple of Great Crested Grebes to be seen. As i walked towards the area referred to as the Sunken Garden, I noticed a small flock of Siskin darting about amonst the trees, and nearby a Grey Squirrel - sadly, these things get everywhere! On entering the Sunken Garden, i noticed that an Owl Box has been put up, but I have no idea if anything will be resident or not. I did, however see a Treecreeper darting from one tree to another, climbing about hunting for grubs. I stood there and watched it for a good 5 minutes. At one point it must have been no more than 6 feet away from me. Wishing i'd thought to take my camera with me now!
After the sunken garden, there was the dam itself. Three new additions seen from here. There was a small group of Pochard, a couple of Greylag Geese and a lone Sparrowhawk flew across the loch, only about a foot above the surface.
All in all, it was a great walk, with plenty to see. Nothing particularly unusual, but i got of the best views I've had in a long time of Goldeneye, Tufted Duck and Treecreeper - had i thought to bring my camera, I would almost certainly have had pictures to show you! Typical!
I've attached a photo i took of the map, if anyone is interested in the area.

I was starting to lose the light now, but i wasn't quite ready to go home yet. On the road between Tillicoultry and Dollar, there is a small car park, which has a path leading onto the Devon Way. I decided to take a bit of a walk while there was still a little bit of light left. I was only there for about 10 minutes, but i saw plenty. There was Moorhen on the river, along with 2 Goosander. On the other side, a Kestrel was hovering. There was blackbirds, Fieldfares, Blue Tits and Robins in amongst the trees, and just as i was returning to the car, i had a perfect view of a Grey Heron flying past in silhouette with a red sky as the backdrop. Priceless!

All in all, i had a great afternoon, and i will definitely be returning!

[delia todd]

You did have a good day, Graeme, nice report too, thanks.

D

[MacGee]

All in all, i had a great afternoon, and i will definitely be returning!You were luckier than I was. Last time at Gartmorn, I not only didn't see much, I also got a tick bite.

Michael

[llendorin]

I've been a few times. It's always a good place for Great Crested Grebe and Tufties... not good re the tick bite, though!
It's surprising how many dog walkers there are there, if there's ticks about...

[MacGee]

This afternoon I took a walk round my local haunt, Airthrey Loch. It's quite well populated at the moment. Heron, Goldeneye, Tufted Duck, Cormorant, Goosander as well as the usual inhabitants. The highlight came while I was watching a couple of female Goldeneye. A small bird flashed across my view, which I watched onto a branch overlooking the water. A Kingfisher. I noticed that its orange front blended in quite well with the autumn foliage around it. As I watched, it twice dived and caught something (I couldn't see what) took it to a lower branch to eat, before returning to the fishing branch. In the end, I was driven to move on by the cold and by the thought that I would get an even better view from further round, but I couldn't find it again.

That was the longest and best view I've had of a Kingfisher by far. Of course, I'd decided to take the small, lightweight binoculars instead of the really good ones. And as I picked them up and went through the front door, I thought, "If I take these, I'm bound to see something wonderful." Then I thought, "Na, it's only Aithrey Loch."

I think these gorgeous birds must be expanding their population. Before this year, my wife and I had never seen one in Scotland; this year, between us we've seen six.

Michael

[MacGee]

I'm travelling by train between Stirling and Bromley, which involves getting a bus from Falkirk to Edinburgh (and from Newcastle to Darlington). I was standing in the car park at Falkirk (waiting for the bus drivers to finish their breakfasts) when I noticed a pair of Goldcrests in an evergreen bush (laurel?). They were close enough to identify easily with the naked eye. That brightened up a long and tedious journey. Being able to use the train's wifi to post this helps as well.

Michael

[MacGee]

Near the start of the walk from the Sheriffmuir Monument down to Dunblane, we saw a pair of Common Crossbills. They're not particularly shy, but we would have missed them if we hadn't heard their song.

Michael

[delia todd]

Oh that was a nice sighting for you Michael.

What a lovely day it was again, wasn't it

D

[MacGee]

We had an unusually profitable walk along the bike path between Kilmahog and Callander today. On the way in we saw a Grey Wagtail on the bank of the Garbh Uisge and a Song Thrush over its head. In the fields were two pairs of Reed Buntings and lots of Meadow Pipits. In the trees and bushes along the path were a pair of Goldfinches and several small parties of Redwing. At one point a Fieldfare flew over. (I forgot the name for the moment and asked my wife. She said, "Firefox...I mean Fieldfare.")

Close to Callander we saw a Grey Heron being mobbed by a couple of Black-headed Gulls, a thing I've never seen before. The Heron eventually flew into the top of a birch tree and perched there on what looked like impossibly thin twigs with its beak pointed vertically. One of the Gulls made a final pass, was stabbed at, and then gave up, at least for the moment. There were two other Herons close by completely unmolested.

On the river were two male Goldeneye, a Goosander and two or three Common Gull.

On the walk back we saw a Dipper.

We drove home by the back road past Argaty and saw a few Lapwings, then a Red Kite. We stopped and watched the Kite for quite a long time. It was quite close at first, then moved further away, then came closer again and finally went behind us. I stopped watching it at that point because my neck doesn't really turn that much. So I was staring blankly out of the window when a Peregrine flew past. Closest I've ever seen one. Just before we rejoined the main road we saw a common or garden Buzzard.

It's that kind of luck that make up for all those times in Scotland when you go all day and see nothing but crows.

Michael

[MacGee]

Today we visited Falls of Clyde. Lanarkshire isn't in this thread's designated area, but since no other threads have claimed it, I've decided to hijack it into this one.

We had a really wonderful day. It's a lovely walk up to the SWT hide and once there the first thing we saw was a Treecreeper. We then had extraordinary telescope views of the female Peregrine feeding her three chicks and nearly as good views of the dowdier male sitting on a branch nearby. On the way back we heard that another male had appeared on the scene and been driven off by the resident male.

Before leaving we had a Spotted Flycatcher pointed out to us by the SWT's peregrine guru, Stephen Kane. Stephen even lent me his Zeiss FLs to get a better view of it. This is one for my life list. The bird, not the binoculars.

Further up the river we saw a frenetic pair of Grey Wagtails and a possible Kingfisher. I was convinced I saw a female Shoveller with a couple of ducklings, but Stephen poured cold water on the idea. Probably a Mallard, he said.

Near the SWT Centre there was a Dipper, pair of Goosander and a female mallard making a determined attempt to drown a duckling that tried to bond with her. Whether she was rejecting her own chick or an orphan, I don't know.

Michael

[MacGee]

What a wonderful Waxwing winter it's been. Before 2008 I had one (count it) confirmed sighting. That was when hundreds of them arrived in our street during the seventies. We had to go and look them up in our recently acquired bird book.

This year so far I've had six sightings, including three on consecutive days:

On Thursday, there was a small party at the Laighhills Park in Dunblane.

On Friday there were maybe 20 in the tree we parked under in Station Road in Cambus. We arrived back at the car having had a good day for us (32 species) and there were the waxwings, home to roost. They stayed while we watched them for quite a long time. They stayed while we stood right under the tree and took our boots off, giving me the closest ever views, wonderful even in the failing light.

On Saturday we saw a few along the cycle track between Kilmahog and Callander.

Michael

[delia todd]

Aaaw it's just not fair Michael... they're missing Perthshire out altogether.:-C

It's a few years since I've seen some in the town.

D

[MacGee]

Aaaw it's just not fair Michael... they're missing Perthshire out altogether.:-C
I know the feeling, Delia. Last year I kept going to Dunblane looking for them and had a very frustrating time. This year, as well as the above-mentioned and a couple of other sightings in or near Dunblane, we had a large party in our street feeding off the crab apples. Next year it'll be your turn.

Michael

[delia todd]

I know the feeling, Delia. Last year I kept going to Dunblane looking for them and had a very frustrating time. This year, as well as the above-mentioned and a couple of other sightings in or near Dunblane, we had a large party in our street feeding off the crab apples. Next year it'll be your turn.

Michael

Do you mean next month - you do.... don't you.... please?:-O:-O

D

[MacGee]

Do you mean next month - you do.... don't you.... please?:-O:-O
If it were up to me, Delia, you could see them all day every day...

It's been a good winter for other birds too. I haven't seen such numbers of Redwings and Fieldfares before. I've also seen more Treecreepers this winter than my previous lifetime total. Same for Long-tailed Tits and Tree Sparrows. I've seen flocks of Tree Sparrows on the Carse of Lecropt and at Gartmorn Dam, all mixed in with Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings.

This morning I'm off to Loch of the Lowes. Fingers crossed.

Michael

[MacGee]

There were more Waxwings on the Kilmahog to Callander cycle track early this afternoon, though they'd gone when I returned in late afternoon.

Michael

[MacGee]

At Cambus yesterday, I saw a dorsal fin breaking the surface of the water at regular intervals. My first thought was that this was a porpoise, but it never put its head out of the water, so it must have been a fish. The dorsal fin was black and longer than it was tall. The sides of the fish were mostly silver (or grey) with some dark mottling. For a while it kept pace with me as I walked upriver, then started moving downriver again. I'm wondering if it was some species of shark. Up till that point the most exciting thing had been three Red-breasted Mergansers.

Michael

[MacGee]

At Cambus yesterday, I saw a dorsal fin breaking the surface of the water at regular intervals. My first thought was that this was a porpoise, but it never put its head out of the water, so it must have been a fish. The dorsal fin was black and longer than it was tall. The sides of the fish were mostly silver (or grey) with some dark mottling. For a while it kept pace with me as I walked upriver, then started moving downriver again. I'm wondering if it was some species of shark.After consultation with some helpful and knowledgeable people in the Mammals & Sea Life (http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=135295) forum, I realised that I'd seen a Harbour Porpoise. I'd been deceived into thinking it must be a fish by not knowing how long porpoises can stay under water.

Michael

[MacGee]

On my last couple of visits to Airthrey Loch, I saw a male Mallard sitting on the edge of the roof of the student residences. The first time, as I watched, a female came flying in as though to land beside him, but then veered off at the last moment as if she'd lost her nerve. She landed on the grass beneath. The second time I didn't notice any female in the vicinity. I've not seen Mallards behaving like this before.

Michael

[Binocularface]

Hi,

I am trying to track down David Abrahms (or Abrahams) a Lanarkshire based birder. If anyone has contact details for him could they please PM me.

Regards
B

[MacGee]

We walked round the Carse of Lecropt yesterday morning and saw and heard lots of birds, including my first Swift of the year. We had Yellowhammer, Wheatear, Tree Sparrow, Willow Warbler, Garden Warbler and Sedge Warbler. And we had good views of a Red Kite passing over our heads. When we saw it again a minute later, it was being bombed by a very determined Oystercatcher. We got 36 species in all, which isn't bad for a farmland walk.

Michael

[apbarr]

Anyone seen the singing Nuthatch at Airthrey Castle area?

[MacGee]

Anyone seen the singing Nuthatch at Airthrey Castle area?I haven't seen it—and have only heard it once. There were earlier reports of a Nuthatch visiting feeders in the Alexander Drive area of Bridge of Allan, so maybe there's a population.

Michael

[apbarr]

Gerry Owens saw it a couple of weeks ago but I've been in the med and wondered if it/they are still around

[MacGee]

At Gartmorn Dam today, we had excellent and extended views of a Marsh Harrier (with a bit of its tail missing) hunting over fields close to the car park. When we arrived back at the car park, there were two of them circling. Apart from that, the highlights were a Blackcap giving a concert performance and a Bar-headed Goose, not tickable, but delightful.

Michael

[MacGee]

Because this thread hasn't been a roaring success, I'm abandoning it and will be posting Stirlingshire and Clackmannanshire news to the Tayforth Birding (http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=68902&page=99) thread, which is really an amalgamation of Tayside Birding and this thread. The areas covered are shown on the attached map:

Angus (2), Perthshire (24), Kinross (16), Fife (13), Clackmannanshire (9) and Stirlingshire (30).

Thanks to those who posted here, and please do join me over in Tayforth Birding (http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=68902&page=99).

Michael