Teddy Edward: Ye Banks and Braes O' Bonnie Doon

It's that time of year again, when the spring is springing and the birds are breeding, which means it's time for my annual Upland Breeding Bird Surveys.

Well I did the early survey at the end of April, but I am only now getting round to do a blog about the birds I saw. I would also like to add that this blog relates more to the birds I saw the day before the survey when I had an overnight stay at Loch Doon Caravan Park. Let's start with the magnificent views from the great pitch I was allocated for the motorhome:

Great Pitch at Loch Doon Caravan Park

Vannie at Loch Doon

Great View from Rear Window

Great View from Side Window

Once I got parked up and levelled out I grabbed my binoculars and camera and headed out for a walk along the side of the loch. First stop was at the nearby Craiglea Burn which runs passed the caravan park and down to the loch:

Craiglea Burn

Waterfall on Craiglea Burn

Once down on the shoreline of the loch I enjoyed the views, whilst scanning for birds:

Where the burn meets the loch

View down the loch

Loch Doon viewed from shoreline

It wasn't long until I spotted my first bird of note; a female Wheatear perched on the remnants of an old building:

Wheatear on ruins of old building

Female Wheatear with a Feather

She had a feather in her mouth so was obviously in the process of building a nest somewhere.

Just a little further along the shoreline I noticed a Black-headed Gull patrolling the water's edge, chasing away other gulls from the area:

Black-headed Gull patrolling the shoreline

Black-headed Gull Loch Doon

The main antagonists appeared to be a pair of Common Gulls who were also intent on making that stretch of shoreline their own:

Common Gull, Loch Doon

Common Gull (No.1)

Common Gull (No.2)

Noisy Common Gull

After a bit of posturing and some noisy squabbling the Common Gulls moved further along the shoreline leaving the Black-headed Gull in peace.

I also moved further along the shoreline, where I came across a couple of waders. Firstly there was a Common Sandpiper probing the rocks on the water's edge looking for tasty morsels to eat:

Common Sandpiper, probing for invertebrates

Common Sandpiper, Loch Doon

They are pretty well camouflaged against the rocks, easier to see when they move; so here is a short video of this one:

The second wader I saw was a Ringed Plover, which was also checking every nook and cranny for something tasty to eat:

Ringed Plover looking for food

Ringed Plover, Loch Doon

Ringed Plover

They are slightly chunkier and more boldly patterned than the Common Sandpiper, making them easier to spot. Here is a video of this one anyway:

I decided to come back from the shoreline and head for the road that runs down towards Loch Doon Dam. Just before I reached the road I spotted this Male Wheatear, resplendent in its breeding plumage:

Male Wheatear, Loch Doon

Male Wheatear watching me

Always a good bird to see, plenty of them around in these upland areas at this time of year.

When I reached the road I headed North towards the dam (and towards the Roundhouse Cafe, which does lovely coffee and cake):

Loch Doon Dam and the Roundhouse Cafe

Looking back towards Loch Doon

At the cafe I ordered a latte and a Danish (as you do) and sat down on an outside bench to enjoy the views, the wildlife and the snack:

Benches behind the Roundhouse Cafe

Latte and a Danish

I had no sooner sat down when I heard a Willow Warbler singing from a nearby tree. It was hard to get a photo of it in the tree but it duly obliged by hopping on to the telephone cable just in front of the cafe:

Willow Warbler on the wire

Willow Warbler pole dancing

The Willow Warbler flew off to start singing again in a further away bush, then the stage was clear for the next act. As I munched on my Danish and sipped my coffee a Stonechat appeared on the wire:

Stonechat on the wire

Male Stonechat, Loch Doon

Male Stonechat in breeding plumage

It was a pity that the light was in front of me, making the image a bit of a silhouette. You can't really see the bright orange breast of the Stonechat. If I were to adjust the image (which I don't normally do) it might look a bit like this:

Male Stonechat (altered image)

After my delicious snack and on-line (or cable) entertainment I headed on to the little nature trail that sits at the foot of the dam:

Signage for Nature Trail

Behind Loch Doon Dam

Paths through Ness Glen Nature Trail

I decided to take the right-hand path which leads down towards the river flowing from the dam. It was a rough trail in places but there was plenty to see:

Little burn in Ness Glen

Pretty Primrose

Woodland heading towards the river

Unsurprisingly the river running from the Loch Doon Dam is in fact called the River Doon. It flows all the way down to Ayr Bay where it joins the Firth of Clyde, a journey of almost 40 miles (60 km). The Loch Doon area has quite an industrial past and the loch itself was dammed to provide hydro-electric power to Dumfries & Galloway.

Some of the industrial heritage is clearly visible at the rear of the dam:

Behind Loch Doon Dam

Large discharge pipes, a weir and other structures

However amongst all these civil works nature is still thriving as represented by this wonderful Willow Warbler which was happily singing in a tree by the River Doon:

Willow Warbler

Willow Warbler, River Doon

Wonderful Willow Warbler

It was quite happy to sit there and pose for photographs.

The riverside path was starting to get a bit rocky and I was getting a bit tired so I decided to head back to the caravan park.

Riverside Path

Rocky Road Ahead

Back at the caravan park I got my last treat for the afternoon when a Meadow Pipit decided to perch on a flower tub that was only a few yards from Vannie:

Meadow Pipit on tub at Caravan Park

Meadow Pipit Close-up (note long rear claws)

Magical.

After my evening meal I went for a short walk near the caravan park and took some scenic photographs in the fading light:

Loch Doon Caravan Park in the evening

Loch Doon in evening light.

I had a relaxing evening then off to bed ready for an early rise in the morning.

The next morning I was up with the Larks (literally) and managed to capture the sunrise over the hills surrounding Loch Doon:

Sunrise over the hills

Loch Doon at Sunrise

Southern Uplands at Sunrise

Looked like it was going to be a good morning for my survey. I had some breakfast then got the van ready to drive round to the other side of the loch, the starting point for my bird survey.

In order to concentrate on my survey I decided to leave my camera in my rucksack and get it out only if I really needed it. That was my biggest mistake; I was only ten metres in to my survey when an Osprey flew right over my head. By the time I got my camera out it was gone.

So no dramatic wildlife photos were taken during my survey, only some sheep........