Haven't been writing for a while. Blame too much work!! Anyway I've had a lovely two weeks holidays in the Scottish Borders. Lovely weather. 90 species of bird seen (not much for most of you experienced birders out there I know). Some of what we did:
1. Visited Bemersyde Moss (1st time) - black headed gull colony. Wigeon ducklings about (a 1st for me).
2. Discovery tour of St Abbs Head - highly recommended. Highlights included 3 roe deer and a good 15 minute view of a pair of peregrines.
3. Dundock Wood - beautiful rhodies and azaleas. Robin nesting in a seated shelter.
4. Whiteadder river - pair of Canada geese with young goslings, dipper and 2 common sandpipers all in one view!!
5. North Berwick - wanted to go on boat trip to the Bass Rock. Boatman needed a minimum of 6 people, could only rustle up my aunt and I. Will get going some time.
6. Farne Islands - opposite to the Bass Rock. Landing trips full up, but able to get on a non-landing trip. Usual lovely views of the seabirds.
7. Newton Pools - greylags with older goslings. Pair of mute swans and cygnets. Adults swans took a dislike to one of the goslings. Isolated it from the rest of the greylags. It eventually got back to its parents when the swans attacked. Goose feathers flew everywhere, but the gosling escaped!! The gosling wasn't any danger to the cygnets, so I don't know why the swans attacked. It has been a number of years since I was last at Newton Pools. Then a coot tried to drown a baby moorhen!! It escaped eventually.
8. Paxton/River Tweed - we don't get woodpeckers in Ireland so it was nice to see a pair of gt spotted from the hide. Then standing on Chain Bridge another gt spotted flew across the river within 5 feet of me!!
9. Cocklawburn - 1 mute swan flying up and down, sometimes landing on the sea. Not sure why it stayed alone rather than flying the extra mile of 2 to Berwick.
10. Yetholm Loch - very young cygnets.
11. Glentress - osprey nest on webcam, 2 young (& no I haven't included the osprey in my '90). Very nice birder manning the information centre. Ponds full of tadpoles.
12. Alnwick Gardens - lovely. Nice view of a jay just outside the town.
Glad to see you back. Always wanted to go to Bass Rock
Posted by: tonyh at June 20, 2004 11:53 PM