Scottish Borders (1 Viewer)

[delia todd]

The grounds at The Hirsel by Coldstream are well worth a visit too. All the normal woodland birds are there, as well as Tree Sparrows and Nuthatch.

There's a lake with a hide and we saw otters one evening; there were lots of Goosanders there in the spring.

Various lengths of walks go from the main car park by the house, or there's another at Dundock Wood.

This is a link to a picture I took of one of the walks in the park: http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/461490/ppuser/18346

 

[jjaw]

The grounds at The Hirsel by Coldstream are well worth a visit too. All the normal woodland birds are there, as well as Tree Sparrows and Nuthatch.

There's a lake with a hide and we saw otters one evening; there were lots of Goosanders there in the spring.

Various lengths of walks go from the main car park by the house, or there's another at Dundock Wood.

This is a link to a picture I took of one of the walks in the park: http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/461490/ppuser/18346

Grand!
Sounds like it is well worth an outing.
You say in your photo description that one may see kingfisher - Only seen Kingfisher once, so this has definitely made the 'go-to' list =)

 

[delia todd]

The cafe is worth a stop, nice food and coffee. There's feeders outside in the courtyard; Tree Sparrows were among the visitors there, but it does rely on someone remembering to put food out

Nuthatches were visiting the feeder on the opposite side of the drive (between the loch and the track to the hide) but we had to fill those feeders.

It would probably be worth putting some feed there before going for a walk then seeing whats there when you come back.... the birds seem to constantly check the feeders out!

 

[borderglider]

Visited the hide a couple of days ago: lots of Golden Eye, Tufted Duck and over 100 Greylag Geese. Also two female Goosanders, lots of Coot, moorhen, heron etc. Oh and Goldcrests in the oaks near the hide.

 

[delia todd]

Hi borderglider and a warm welcome to you from all the Staff and Moderators.

They're lovely grounds, aren't they. Thanks for this report - it's nice to know what's going on there at this time of year too.

 

[Brian Robertson]

I was in two minds whether to start a new thread or add to this very old one.

We're having a few days in the Borders near Hawick with a few places in mind to visit.

Williestruther Loch has a pleasant, short walk around it. Amongst the usual birds, it held 4x Goldeneye, 4x Little Grebe, 1x Cormorant, 2x Lesser-Black Backed Gulls with a number of immature ones that may have been amongst the same species, 2x Teal, 1x Buzzard and a single Curlew head overhead. The southern edge of the Loch looks good for Snipe but there didn't seem to be any.

 

[delia todd]

That sounds lovely Brian. I've looked it up on the map and it's in a great area, isn't it.

I can't believe it's nearly twelve years since my break there with my sister. So much has happened in the interim!

 

[Brian Robertson]

That sounds lovely Brian. I've looked it up on the map and it's in a great area, isn't it.

I can't believe it's nearly twelve years since my break there with my sister. So much has happened in the interim!

Yeah, it's pretty wild around there yet it's only two or so miles from Hawick. Very cold, too - it seems to be windy every day these days.

 

[Brian Robertson]

As the weather looked promising if a little cold, we headed off to the west of the county with some brief stops at various places.

First off, a flooded field close to the roadside south of Lilliesleaf held some 52 lapwings, doing their aerial acrobatics. Two each of Oystercatcher, Black-headed Gull and Curlew and around 30 Wigeon were also present. A touch further north was a roadside pond, a brief glance gave common stuff like 5x Canada Goose, a single Mute Swan, Mallard, Coot, Tufted Duck and 2x Little Grebe.

The first planned stop was at Hare Moss nature reserve - bisected by the noisy A7. There was little to get excited about apart from 14 Whooper Swans on the south Loch, right in front of the hide. They always look like they're smiling to me. A Grey Heron flew overhead.

Ettrick is a very remote small village in the middle of nowhere, the kirkyard held a single Fieldfare, Goldcrest and Nuthatch amongst others. Also seen was flowering Lesser Celandine - the first of the year for me.

Then on to Alemoor Reservoir, a sizeable flock of Reed Buntings were seen just before there, near Clearburn Loch. Alemoor was fairly poor for birds, everything being on the western portion including a lone Whooper Swan, 10+ Goldeneye, Grey Heron, 8+ Wigeon and 2+ Teal. Not a single bird in sight from the bridge looking to the Northern part bar a Buzzard overhead.

Branxholme Easter Loch was next - I've never visited before. It's close to the roadside and easy to see, the usual waterfowl were present, alongside a pair of Goosander, another Grey Heron with Kestrel, Raven and a male Stonechat in the vicinity.

Finally a return to Williestruther Loch for an afternoon cuppa - Very little change from yesterday - The Lesser Black-backed gulls have departed but a flock of 25 Oystercatchers landed in the field to the east, very nice to see.

 

[delia todd]

The Oystercatchers are much earlier up in the hills than they are here, no sign of them at all yet (well Sunday that was).

Hopefully they'll arrive soon though.

You really are getting around and going to some nice places Brian.

 

[Brian Robertson]

The Oystercatchers are much earlier up in the hills than they are here, no sign of them at all yet (well Sunday that was).

Hopefully they'll arrive soon though.

You really are getting around and going to some nice places Brian.

They really are great to see and are increasingly common breeding inland. I've also increasingly seen them in urban areas including park playing fields and even on the roof of my local leisure centre.

The scenery today was stunning, an especially good view is the one from the Yarrow to Ettrickbridge minor road looking East towards Selkirk. Planning on heading east towards Yetholm and Kelso tomorrow.

 

[delia todd]

I've only been to Kirk Yetholm once, and rather liked it.

I always fancied walking the Pennine Way, but that ship has long sailed!!

 

[Brian Robertson]

The weather didn't look too promising today but we weren't to be beaten. We had a drive around the Oxnam and Hownam area to the South East of Jedburgh, a very remote and quiet area but few birds were around. A sizeable flock of 25+ Fieldfares were seen near Pennymuir Roman Camps.

Yetholm Loch was the first birding port of call, getting off to a great start with a Great White Egret poking its head through the reeds in the North East corner of the Loch. That's the first time I've seen one in Scotland and going by the hide logbook, it's been there for a number of weeks. A Smew was reported there on the 24th of February but sadly it looks to have gone. Also around were 10x Mute Swan, 2x Grey Heron, 19+ Goldeneye, 1x Oystercatcher, 7x Lapwing, 2x Lesser Blacked-Back Gull, 50+ Herring Gull, 1+ Little Grebe (rather low in comparison to some places), 28 Cormorant (impressive), 1 Chiffchaff calling and a male Bullfinch along the path. Cetti's Warbler is also listed as present as they continue to spread northwards.

The next stop was Hoselaw Loch, very close to the Northumberland border. And here I got caught by a very heavy shower. Comparatively little wildfowl on the lake - recorded here were 13x Greylag Goose, 6 Mute Swan, 2 Whooper Swan, 1+ Teal, 2+ Goldeneye, 2 Cormorant and 6 Starling. Not a lot but probably more around as I hurried back to the car.

Later on, a female Goosander was seen on the Tweed at Kelso and I pleasingly discovered a pond near Nisbet called Ploughlands Pond which I'd never heard of. Nothing of any real note on it but good to see it teaming with waterfowl. It held: 3x Mute Swan, 6x Wigeon, 10x Mallard, 1+ Teal, 29 Tufted Duck, 1+ Moorhen, 8 Coot, 6 Little Grebe (good numbers for a small pond) and a Grey Heron.

 

[Brian Robertson]

Today was the third and final day of our trip to the Borders - the weather stayed fine, and not as windy or chilly as the previous days.

The first stop was the scenic nature reserve at Lindean Loch, a few miles east of Selkirk. This place always seems poor for wildfowl, just 2x Mallard, 2x Little Grebe and a single Mute Swan on the water. A Grey Heron was statuesque in the pond on the other side of the road. Singles of Chiffchaff, Redwing, Treecreeper, Goldcrest, Greenfinch were in the trees along the north side of the loch along with a pair of reed buntings and three bullfinches. A flood/pond just north of the site held around 5 Greylag Goose, 32 Canada Goose and 24 Wigeon with uncounted Mallards.

Just south of Galashiels on a minor road is Hollybush Loch, more of the usual waterfowl but this time 5+ Gadwall were noted, they're not especially common in the Borders. Also nice to see a Lapwing doing its aerial display.

Bowdenmoor Fishing Loch just south of Melrose held 6 Goldeneye but little else of note. There's room to park and the public can walk around it and it sits under the Eildon hills.

A short time was spent at Dryburgh Abbey which is always an enjoyable visit - two female Goosanders were on the Tweed and I was told a Little Egret is regularly seen.

Bemersyde Moss was next, the view from the roadside hide is partially obstructed with Bullrushes. 4x Canada Goose were making a real racket, I've never heard them so loud. 2x Pink-footed Geese were circling aimlessly to the south. A Raven flew north over the moss then U-turned. A Song Thrush was the first I've seen this week. The feeders were dominated by Tree Sparrow 8+ and Chaffinch 6+.

And finally, a stop off at Baron's Folly Loch which unfortunately has nowhere suitable to park. This was probably the best place of the day where some 105 Whooper Swans and 3 Mute Swans were feeding in the field to the east. A further 6 Whoopers were on the Loch. Pleased to see 13 Shelducks on the Loch - they're not seemingly common around here. 10+ Tufted Duck and 1+ Little Grebe were also present and Siskin was heard in the conifers. An impressive site was circa 400 Pink-footed Geese followed by 14 heading north.

 

[delia todd]

A lovely report of your stay Brian. I wondered where all the Whoopers and Pink-foot had gone... hardly seen any of them round here this year.

Strange. Last year there were 14 Whoopers on the little lochan on my patch for several weeks. At the moment there's just 1 there (used to be two of them through the winter)!

 

[Brian Robertson]

A lovely report of your stay Brian. I wondered where all the Whoopers and Pink-foot had gone... hardly seen any of them round here this year.

Strange. Last year there were 14 Whoopers on the little lochan on my patch for several weeks. At the moment there's just 1 there (used to be two of them through the winter)!

I wish I had a little lochan on my local patch . Then again I'm not really a patch-birder, I like going from place to place.

Thought I might have some Shovelers or Pochards, they seem pretty scarce in the borders. That said, there must be dozens of ponds and lochs that are very rarely if ever watched.

 

[delia todd]

I was intrigued really, which is why I started watching the place. The farmer put a dam across a stream and dug it out a bit leaving an island in the middle. It just made me wonder what might use the lochan. It's been interesting and exciting too at times.

We get plenty of Shovelers up here, but not so many Pochard, though there's usually a few around at various places.

I wonder if anyone has actually counted the number of lochs in the Borders?

 

[Brian Robertson]

I was intrigued really, which is why I started watching the place. The farmer put a dam across a stream and dug it out a bit leaving an island in the middle. It just made me wonder what might use the lochan. It's been interesting and exciting too at times.

We get plenty of Shovelers up here, but not so many Pochard, though there's usually a few around at various places.

I wonder if anyone has actually counted the number of lochs in the Borders?

That would depend on how small a loch is how big a lochan is.

Couldn't help one last look at Borders birds this morning on the way home. We pulled in at the plantation east of Crailinghall with the vague hope it might have held Crossbill but I couldn't find any - lots of Coal Tits in song, though, probably at least six. A Song Thrush and Yellowhammer were also in song.

A quick look at Romany Marsh, Town Yetholm held typical species including a little grebe (I've seen rather a lot of them this week) and a grey Heron.

The final stop was at Branton and Hedgeley Gravel Pits but that's south of the border so I'll spare you the details