Sunshine over Cambus

There is something special about the effect you get when the sun comes out just after some heavy rainfall. How all the trees and bushes sparkle like they are covered in little diamonds and the sky has dark brooding clouds with shafts of sunshine breaking through......I love it.
It is not surprising that in Scotland we get quite a few days like this with our changeable weather and a couple of weeks back I took a trip to the 'wee county' of Clackmannanshire on such a day.
Before crossing over the new(ish) Clackmannanshire Bridge I took a slight detour to one of my childhood haunts, the Pow Burn at Higgins Neuk (pronounced Poo Burn by the locals.......don't snigger!)


Bridge over Pow Burn

Not the most glamorous of places you may think but surprisingly enough quite a good little spot for bird-watching, although on this day all I saw was a Mute Swan, a couple of Meadow Pipits and an old tractor tyre. In my youth we had many good times fishing in the Pow Burn where we caught the occasional Flounder and very rarely a Trout (but mostly it was Eels).
After this brief trip down memory lane I could see the rain was approaching from the West so I made my way across the bridge to Clackmannanshire.

Rain Approaching from the West

Clackmannanshire Bridge

My aim was to visit a nature reserve at the small village of Cambus, which lies on the banks of the River Forth just to the west of Alloa.
By the time I reached Cambus the rain was chucking it down so I parked up, got my flask out and had a cup of coffee and some delicious home-made fruit bread (I love my wife!). After this the rain had eased off to a slight drizzle so I thought I would brave the elements.
I didn't go directly to the nature reserve at Cambus Pools but took a walk along a river-side path which skirts the River Forth just to the East of where the River Devon joins it.

Forth-side Path

In a flooded field at the edge of this path I saw an unusual sight which was a flock of Moorhen (about twenty) grazing in the open at the side of the flooded field, this was strange to me as I have only ever seen Moorhen in small numbers usually skulking in the reeds around ponds and rivers. I don't think you will make out the Moorhen in the following photo as they were at the far side of the flooded field:

Flooded Field

What you might make out is the group of Mute Swans on the grass at the edge of the flooded area, which brings me to my next observation.
The normally graceful swan which seems to glide effortlessly on our rivers and ponds is far from graceful when it is out of the water........in fact it looks decidedly cumbersome to say the least:

I rest my case m'Lud.
Moving along the path a little further I reached the banks of the River Forth. Here the river meanders relatively slowly across low lying ground and Cambus sits on the outside edge of one of the slow river bends, forming what can loosely be described as a 'beach' albeit a very muddy one.

Round the Bend in the Forth

 

It was on this muddy beach I observed an Oystercatcher which had adopted the tactics of another wader (a Turnstone) and was systematically turning over stones in search of tasty morsels such as worms or invertebrates which hide under them.

On the other side of the Forth lies the large warehouses of Bandeath, which was a munitions depot during WW1 and later became a Royal Naval Armaments Depot (RNAD) during WW2.

Warehouses at Bandeath

Weapons, munitions and supplies were brought into these large warehouses by rail and then transferred on to supply ships using the crane on Admiralty Pier. The shell of the crane still stands as a monument to Bandeath's military history, the site is now an Industrial Estate.

RNAD Crane on Admiralty Pier

Once again the rain started coming on so I hurried back to the car, getting there just in time before the heavens opened. Time for another cup of coffee and a cheesy sandwich, you've got to keep your strength up on these arduous trips.
After having my lunch the rain eventually passed over and some blue sky appeared, so I thought it was time to continue exploring. I headed towards Cambus Pools, a Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) nature reserve, although I knew roughly where it was the entrance to the reserve wasn't very well signposted. I knew I had to cross over the River Devon and found the only obvious bridge which was busy with lorries ferrying whisky barrels to and from the nearby bonded warehouses.
From this bridge I did however view the magnificent Cambus Iron Bridge which was built back in the early 1800s to provide a crossing point for pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages going to Cambus Distillery (which sadly no longer exists).

Iron Bridge over River Devon

Cambus Iron Bridge

I thought that I might be able to access the nature reserve from this bridge but sadly the access was blocked, and it did not look like I should chance it.

No Entry!

Then I noticed a couple of interpretation signs next to the old bridge, one about the bridge and one about the reserve. At least I think that is what they said as I could barely read them:

Nothing that a bit of soap and water wouldn't cure.......c'mon SWT get your act together!
Anyway I deciphered the fact that I had to cross the road bridge then turn left which I duly did.
This led me to a decidedly muddy path and I was starting to think that I should have put my wellies on

Muddy Path to Cambus Pools

 With a few Fred Astaire moves I managed to avoid the worst of the mud.
At this point the River Devon passes over a weir, which I understand also had something to do with the old distillery. With the river swollen with heavy rain and the sun now shining it looked quite dramatic:

Cambus Weir

After the weir the River Devon slowed down and went round a bend where it looked much calmer and peaceful.

River Devon

Here a few ducks, including Goldeneye, Teal and Mallard pottered about on the river:

As I continued along the woodland path the sun shone brightly and I was pleased to see that the trees were sparkling with jewelled raindrops, just as I eluded to at the start of this blog:

Sparkling Trees

I then came across a signpost which confirmed that I was indeed in the right place:


No Shooting!

I only hoped that shooting videos does not count.
I later found evidence that others had been ignoring the sign as well:

The pools themselves were a bit of a disappointment from a wildlife perspective, but it was still officially Winter and all the Spring migrants which come to these reed beds and pools to breed were sunning themselves in warmer climes.
The views over towards the Ochils and Wallace's Monument were however rewarding:

Cambus Pools & Ochil Hills



Wallace's Monument from Cambus pools

Well I had enjoyed some natural history, some military history, some industrial heritage, some wonderful views and even some sparkly trees, so I thought it was not a bad trip overall.................considering the weather!!

Take care

TeddyEdward

By the Shores of the Carron

The River Carron starts its life as a burn tumbling down from the Fintry Hills some ten miles west of Stirling. It has no sooner started flowing when its progress is punctuated by the Carron Valley Reservoir; of which it is one of the main feeder rivers. This reservoir provides clean drinking water for a large number of people in the Falkirk area and the river which issues from the base of the dam is of course the River Carron.

The Fintry Hills

Carron Valley Reservoir

From source to sea the Carron is not a long river, perhaps covering a distance of less than 20 miles, it is however a river with a great history of utilisation. As well as being a major source of drinking water it has historically served as an essential water supply to many paper mills in the Denny & Dunipace area, several large iron works and foundries in the Falkirk area, as well as chemical works in the Grangemouth area.

Bridge at Carron Valley (upstream of Denny)

As the river rushes down through Denny and Larbert to the lower reaches at Carronshore it changes from relatively fast flowing to a sluggish, meandering river which winds its way down to join the much bigger River Forth at Grangemouth. At these lower reaches it is tidal and both banks are covered in deep, brown mud which is clearly visible at low tide; it is at this point my walk began.

Walkway along the Banks of the Carron

Starting from the outskirts of Grangemouth I headed along the cycle/walkway that runs along the north bank of the River Carron and leads to Carronshore. For those of you not familiar with the area it is on the opposite bank of the river from a little sculpture known as the Kelpies:

Kelpies from River Carron Walkway

Kelpies Sculpture

That's enough equestrian art for now, time to concentrate on the real wildlife.
The first evidence of wildlife I encountered was a mixed group of ducks and gulls enjoying the nutrient rich waters downstream of the outfall from Dalderse Sewage Treatment Works (don't knock it until you've tried it..........only joking.......don't try it). Further up the river there was a family of Swans (adults and two cygnets) relaxing on the muddy bank:

Swan Family on bank of River Carron

On the other side of the walkway there was a nice row of Beech trees, which were bathed in Winter sunshine, these must look magnificent in the summer:

Row of Beech Trees

At the other side of the Beech trees was a meadow, which I took a photograph of before realising that there was a small group of Roe Deer grazing at the far end of the meadow about 100 yards away:

Meadow behind Beech Trees

I realised that my small camera would not have enough zoom to get a good photograph of the deer so I hurriedly got my trusty camcorder out. Although not perfect as I had no tripod, the results are not too bad I hope:

These deer seemed to be surprisingly tolerant of people walking back and forward along the walkway. They would occasionally lift their heads, their ears would twitch and then they would go back to grazing. Any of the Roe Deer I have encountered in the past would bolt for the cover of a woodland as soon as the saw you, they certainly would not linger in the open for too long.
As I walked further along the path I came across a pond in an adjacent field and I was hopeful that this may contain some interesting wildlife:

Pond in Field

 Unfortunately it had very little wildlife around it............a couple of Carrion Crows.......which left as soon as I got there. A little further along there was an interesting looking building hiding in the woods next to this field:

Doocot in Woods

It was an octagonal doocot (aka dovecote) built of red brick and I later found out that it was built around 1800 and belonged to the nearby Carron House, which has been a ruined mansion for as long as I can remember. The doocot looked in good condition for its age but had been subject to some obvious vandalism. I guessed it would no longer contain the doves/pigeons which the mansion house bred for pleasure (and food).
Shortly after this point I turned round and headed back towards Grangemouth as I did not think I would find much in the way of wildlife along the short stretch of walkway to Carronshore.
As I approached the outfall from the sewage works I noticed that not only was there still a collection of ducks and gulls, there was also a Heron on the bank beside the outfall:

I'm not sure what the Heron was hoping to catch but I presume it was some small fish which had been attracted to the nutrients from the outfall. I grew up in the Carronshore area and never thought that fish could ever exist in such a polluted river (as it was then); however a huge reduction in amount of heavy industry in the area coupled with major improvements in discharges has I'm sure led to life returning to the lower reaches of the River Carron.
Just downstream of the outfall, where the surplus water from the Forth & Clyde Canal discharges in to the river, I noticed that a group of male Teal where swimming about in a circular motion:

After circling around a bit they started to attack each other, with a bit of 'parallel swimming' thrown in as well. I wondered if this was some sort of breeding display such as male red deer do..............a sort of 'Teal Rut'..........if it was there were no females about to impress.
Normally on the banks of a tidal river (at low tide) you would expect to see some waders but all I saw was one Redshank under the M9 flyover which flew away before I could photograph it. This may have something to do with the very deep and very soft mud that makes up the banks of the River Carron.........as anybody brought up in this area knows, this mud is perilous. To illustrate this I took a photograph of this perfectly serviceable, modern bicycle which has been tossed into the mud only a few feet from the bank side...........and nobody has made any attempt to retrieve it!!!...........as far as we can tell!!

Anybody want a bike?

Well my walk was almost finished and I felt that I had a good day, some wildlife, some antiquities and some curiosities. I was just about to pack my camera and camcorder away when a small flock of birds swooped past and landed in a nearby tree. These were Yellowhammers, one of my favourite birds and surprisingly enough they were happy to sit in this tree and let me film them. Firstly there was a brightly coloured male Yellowhammer:

Unfortunately you could not hear him singing above the noise of the traffic on the M9 motorway.
Then there was the less colourful, but just as beautiful female Yellowhammer:

What a fantastic hour or so I had on this short walk...... and I cannot believe how accommodating the wildlife around this area was...........they just stood there and let me film them.............I definitely must return sometime.

Take Care,

TeddyEdward

Kinneil Air Display

Kinneil Lagoons sit on the south bank of the River Forth, nestled between the picturesque towns of Grangemouth and Bo'ness and the area is an excellent place for bird watching. Flanked by a petrochemical refinery and a sewage treatment works on one side and a former landfill site on the other side it does not sound like the ideal place to see waders and wildfowl, but it is. By the way there is also a huge coal-fired power station on the other side of the river.

Grangemouth Refinery

Kinneil Kerse Sewage Treatment Works

Longannet Power Station

 

Now I have painted the scene for you let me tell you about my recent trip to Kinneil Lagoons.

As I approached the Lagoons I had a feeling it was going to be a good day for birding as the first bird I saw was a Fieldfare, a winter visitor from Scandinavia, and my first sighting of this colourful thrush this year. However it flew off from the ground where it was feeding and went into the trees, hence getting a decent photograph was very difficult (excuses already):

Fieldfare in tree

There were also flocks of mixed finches flying about............ which is always a good sign............ but very hard to photograph........ so I didn't.

 The lagoons at Kinneil are man-made features formed by creating an embankment around what was originally mudflats and then controlling the level of water within the enclosed area. The embankment has large pipes built in to it which allow some water from the river Forth to flow into the lagoons during high tide but stop all the water draining back in to the river at low tide, hence controlling the lagoon water level. The embankment is the part you walk along, affording views of both the river and the lagoons:

Embankment with River Forth on left and Lagoons on right

Flow to Lagoons



Kinneil Lagoons

 As I approached the embankment I could see lots of small ducks called Teal swimming and feeding around the shore of the river. The nearer I got to them the further they moved away from the river bank, some of them even taking flight to get away.

Teal Feeding

Teal Escaping

Teal Swimming



Teal Flying

 By chance the timing of my visit was perfect, an incoming tide almost at its highest point was driving waders off the mudflats of the river to the shallows of the Lagoons.  I knew that these waders would fly low along the river before pouring over the embankment and swooping down into the Lagoons.

I positioned myself strategically at a little bush halfway along the embankment overlooking the Lagoons and waited for the air display to happen. My first sighting was not of waders but a small group of Shelduck coasting past like some heavy bombers on a low-level reconnaissance flight: 

Shelduck Fly-past

The light was starting to fade a little and over the river there was a pink glow in the lower half of the sky whilst the upper half was quite dark. With the water being so still and calm it made for some great scenic views as I waited for the action to happen.

Looking Downstream to the Forth Estuary

Fife Panorama

Cormorant Skimming the River

Towards Grangemouth and Longannet

In the distance, through my binoculars, I could see what looked like a swarm of bees swooping and swirling.............but these were not bees...............these were the waders leaving the mudflats and heading my way. As they got closer I could here the whirring sound of their beating wings, it got louder and louder then whoosh!! ......they flew right over my head and swooped down to land at the far side of the Lagoons. I had my camera ready so fired off a few shots before they disappeared:

Wader Squadron

Dunlin or Knot?

 I wasn't quite sure what type of waders these were, going by their size and the length of their beaks I thought they were Dunlin but they flew past so quickly I didn't have time to identify them. Not sure if my photographs are good enough to make a positive ID (what do you expert birders out there think?).
These waders had no sooner put down at the Lagoons when something must have spooked them as they were up in the air again and flying back over the embankment and heading back up the river:

Spooked Waders

It was not long before I heard the next wave of waders approaching, this time I could see they were bigger waders with much longer beaks and I was pretty sure that they were Godwits:

Godwits Incoming

 Closer examination of my photographs revealed that they were in fact Black-tailed Godwits:

Black-tailed Godwits

It wasn't just ducks and waders involved in this air show I also had a small squadron of Black-headed Gulls and a solitary cormorant fly past me:

Black-headed Gulls

Cormorant

The light was fading fast and I knew I would not get many other decent photographs so I started to pack away my gear when I heard the distinctive 'piping' call of Redshanks coming from the Lagoon and a few seconds later they zoomed past. Luckily I still had a camera nearby so I managed to get a shot of them flying away, low across the river:

Redshank Heading Off

As I walked back towards my car I reflected on what a magical couple of hours I had experienced at Kinneil and vowed I would return soon.

I snapped a few photographs of the Grangemouth refinery and the flare stacks as I headed back which was a stark reminder that this is basically an industrial landscape, but as always nature finds a way.

Refinery and Flare Stack

 

Burning Bush?

Hope you enjoyed this little trip to Kinneil Lagoons and that it might inspire you to get out to places near you where wildlife thrives amongst the landscapes we create.

 

Take care

 

Teddy Edward

 

 

 

Pinkies are Perky

I was back at Vane Farm last week (this time accompanied by my friend Grant) and was amazed at how much things had changed since I was last there at the end of July. I don't mean the buildings or the layout of the RSPB reserve they had not changed but the difference in the wildlife was definitely noticeable.
Some of the beautiful wildflowers were still evident, like this lovely stand of cornflower:

Cornflower in the Meadow

It was a welcome splash of colour in a meadow that had mostly gone to seed.
Back in July I was buzzed by a super-charged Dragonfly which was almost impossible to photograph; however this time I found a very sluggish Dragonfly sunbathing on a bench, which was easy to snap:

Common Darter

Out on the wader scrape the waders had been usurped by a noisy band of geese and ducks, and the Glossy Ibis was long gone:

Geese & Ducks on the Wader Scrape

When we first arrived these were predominately Greylag Geese, but that was all about to change:

Greylag Geese on Island in Scrape

Over the next few hours we observed Pink-footed Geese arriving at the loch on their return from their Summer breeding grounds in Iceland and Greenland. Initially they came in flocks of twenty or thirty but then they started to arrive in their hundreds, flying right over our heads as they made their way to the loch:

 

 These Pinkies (as they are affectionately known) are much more timid than the Greylag Geese and chose to land on the loch or at the edge of the loch a couple of hundred metres away from where we were. Having just arrived from Iceland and Greenland they are both hungry and wary so by landing on or near the loch meant that they could check there were no predators on the land before starting to graze on the nearby fields.
If you look at the last video you can see the geese 'wiffling' ; this is when they turn on their side or even on their back in an attempt to lose altitude before they land. It is quite fun to see and I'm just glad aircraft don't do the same.
At this stage they are very twitchy and liable to take flight at the first sign of danger. The silhouette of a Buzzard in the sky can be enough to put them up, even though a Buzzard is unlikely to prey on a bird as big as a Pink-footed Goose.
There were no Buzzards around as far as we could see, but the Pinkies were still very nervous. Further inland from the loch-side we did however see a large bird of prey, a Marsh Harrier, it was being chased by a crow which was half its size.

These birds of prey will try to avoid such confrontations as they don't want their flight feathers damaged, which might affect their ability to hunt successfully. Having shaken off the attentions of the crow the Marsh Harrier provided us with a little flying display:

The Pinkies and the Marsh Harrier were not the only birds taking to air, as a family of Mute Swans made a bit of a splash as they took off from the wader scrape:

By mid-afternoon the Pinkies had settled down a bit and some had even flown across to the far end of the wader scrape, so we were able to observe them with our telescopes. They were still a bit touchy and occasionally a few would get spooked, taking to the air and flying around a bit before settling back down:

Pinkies on the move

Flying Pinkies

On one occasion a few Pinkies took to the air which caused a chain reaction and the whole mass of geese (Pink-Footed and Greylags) rose up in unison. There must have been over a thousand of these large birds in the air swirling around for minutes before eventually coming back down to land. I don't know what spooked them but it was very dramatic.

Eruption of Geese

 I don't think this photograph can really capture the spectacle (or noise) of all these geese taking to the air at once, hopefully the following video will give you some idea. Pump up the volume for the most dramatic effect:

It was a great spectacle to witness and one that will stay in the memory for some time to come.
I hope you enjoyed me sharing this with you.

cheers

Teddyedward

P.S. If you are under the age of fifty you probably won't get the reference in the title of this blog...................you could try googling it??