Blue Tits and Commando Cats

Amongst many other lovely presents I received for my recent birthday I was given a couple of great gadgets.
The first was a nest-box fitted with a camera and I wasted no time in getting this installed in a tree in my garden and wired back to my computer:



Nest-box with Internal Camera

I had to modify the box slightly so that it had a smaller entry hole and a small perch, ideal for Blue Tits. No sooner had I installed this des-res in the tree and we had our first interested party, who gave the box a thorough examination:

This Blue Tit and her mate checked out the box several times over the next few days before finally deciding this was the place for them.
Over the following couple of weeks the female Blue Tit started to bring in nesting material and built a nest lining it with moss and feathers. The week after that she started to lay eggs, all of this captured on camera in both video and still photographs.
From the still photographs I compiled a time-lapsed movie of the nest building process as follows:

She laid her eggs at a rate of one per day for a period of ten days!!

Ten Eggs in Ten Days

A Well-earned Rest

She is currently sitting on the nest incubating these eggs and has been doing so for over a week; so hopefully we will have ten chicks to look forward to within the next week or so.
What a great gadget this has been, giving a tremendous insight in to the lives of Blue Tits.

The other gadget I got for my birthday was something I have always wanted...........a Trail Cam (aka a Camera Trap) and I have been trialling this trail cam in my garden.
The camera is activated by the movement of animals and can be set to take still photographs or short videos. I also like the option it has to be able to take several photos in quick succession; as demonstrated in this sequence showing a Goldfinch and Greenfinch doing battle over the rights to the bird feeder:

The Goldfinch won on this occasion, but it soon got chased off by the feisty Blue Tits who were defending their territory from the nearby tree.
As well as good quality photographs the video images are pretty good as well; here is one of a Blackbird in the garden:

However where this Camera Trap is really impressive is in its ability to capture night-time videos; aptly demonstrated by this cat trying to catch a mouse hiding under our wheelie bin:

Thankfully the cat failed to catch the mouse, which run and hid under our shed.
We do get a lot of cats in our garden at night, but they are not the only animals caught on camera at night:

It visits our garden quite often this Hedgehog and roots around looking for worms, it is definitely not camera shy:

Unfortunately the most impressive night-time video so far is...................the Commando Cat...........which not only scales the fence with ease, but stops to check the old Blue Tit nest box for a snack on the way:

Just as well the new Blue Tit nest-box is higher up the tree, otherwise we may capture some unwanted footage on our bird-box camera.
I'm sure there will be more to come from these two wonderful gadgets

Take Care (and watch out for Commando Cats)

Teddyedward

Guthrie's Path & The Riccarton Hills

Guthrie's path is an old 'drove road' in West Lothian which runs along the southern boundary of Beecraigs Country Park near Linlithgow.
It bears all the hallmarks of a 'drove road' being a wide grassy track, bordered at each side by an earth bank, line of trees or a dry stane dyke which cuts directly through the countryside. Farmers used these 'drove roads' to bring their livestock from the field to the markets (or trysts), and the route of Guthrie's Path is recognisable on maps going as far back as the 1600's.
My walk along this path started at the south-east edge of Beecraigs Country Park, next to a suitably informative signpost:

Guthrie's Path at Beecraigs

At this point I choice to head west along the newly laid path that runs between the original Guthrie's Path and the conifer plantation of Beecraigs.

 

Southern Boundary Path

Adjacent to this new path it is just possible to see the original drove road on the other side of the dry stane dyke; you can see the line of trees which mark the opposite side of this drove road:

Line of Trees marking Original Guthrie Path

Unlike the trees in Beecraigs plantation which are nice and straight and uniform the trees lining the route of Guthrie's Path look old, twisted and gnarly (best viewed in black and white I think):

Twisted Pine along Guthrie's Path

Old Tree-line along Guthrie's Path

 In terms of wildlife it is typical of the edges of an upland pine plantation with a few Coal Tit, Great Tit, Chaffinch, Wren, Robin, etc. nothing too spectacular. I only managed to capture a poor photograph of a Robin and a brief video of a Great Tit (so brief I've given you the slo-mo version):

Robin on Branch (if you look closely)

As there was not a lot doing here I decided to walk back to the signpost and go in the opposite direction; heading east from Beecraigs and up the slope towards the Riccarton Hills:



Heading up Guthrie's Path towards Riccarton Hills

Although the Riccarton Hills are not particularly high, walking up Guthrie's Path you can immediately see the habitat changing from forest-edge to grassy upland. It feels a lot wilder, more exposed and the wildlife living in this habitat is also different.
I found the path up to the top of the hill quite intriguing, with lots of charismatic photo opportunities, some scenes looked as though they had not changed in hundreds of years (hence the black and white):

Antique Gate

Twisted Hawthorn

Dry Stane Dyke Up the Riccarton Hills

Dry Stane Dyke down to Longmuir

Cairn at top of Riccarton Hills

Once I had reached the top of the hills (a meagre 833ft or 254m high) the panoramic view was fantastic. Even though it was slightly overcast I could clearly see the Forth Bridges, Edinburgh, Livingston, Grangemouth, the Ochil Hills and Rosyth in Fife. Some of these places featuring in the video below:

The Riccarton Hills along with many other peaks in this landscape were formed during volcanic activity some 350 million years ago. Lava from a line of volcanoes solidified into hard igneous rock formations and subsequent glacial action scoured away the soft sedimentary rock leaving these volcanic plugs, sills and mounds. This includes landscape features such as the Bass Rock, North Berwick Law, Arthur's Seat, Salisbury Crags, Binny Craig, Cairnpapple and Cockleroy.



Looking East towards Binny Craig & Arthur's Seat

Looking South towards Livingston



Looking Southwest towards Cairnpapple

Looking West towards Cockleroy

Looking Northwest towards Grangemouth

Looking North towards Fife

Looking Northeast towards The Forth Bridges

 Another feature of glacial action was the erratic boulders once carried within the glaciers which were deposited half way up hillsides when the ice melted. A typical example of this exists near the top of the Riccarton Hills:

Glacial Erratic on Riccarton Hills

With regards to wildlife at the top of these hills it would appear they were having a great time until I came along. Firstly I disturbed a small group of Teal swimming on the pond formed in an indent at the top of the hills. Sorry I wasn't quick enough to get a photograph, but here is the pond:

Pond at Riccarton Hills

 

View from Pond (sorry no Teal)

I then disturbed a Buzzard which was on the ground near some gorse bushes; this time I did get a video of it flying away:

 I love how Buzzards master the thermals near a hillside to effortlessly gain height..........brilliant to watch.
Just before I reached the top of the hill I spotted a few Meadow Pipits darting about and managed to get a good view of one on the grass just above me:



So there you have it............. the Riccarton Hills; with a dollop of history, a plateful of views, a small helping of wildlife and a dash of geomorphology..........what more could one ask for.
I could get a job with the West Lothian Tourist Board.

Take Care

Teddy Edward

Scone with Jam

Last weekend my friend Grant and I took a trip to lovely Perthshire to do a bit of bird-watching.
Our first stop was to Scone Palace (pronounced Skoon not Scone) to try and see some Hawfinch. The grounds of Scone Palace are a favourite haunt of a small flock of Hawfinch, which is a relatively rare bird in Scotland.
Being Scottish we did not pay to go into Scone Palace but hung around the area near the back gate in the hope we would see a Hawfinch. Apparently that is often where they are seen.....but not by us on this occasion. We did however enjoy views of the wooded palace grounds:

Scone Palace towards Perth Racecourse

Scone Palace Grounds

Yew Tree Avenue (we were not authorised)

 

We did see some birds including Dunnock, Yellowhammer, Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, etc..............but no Hawfinch! We also saw a pair of Buzzards which looked like they were going to 'display' but didn't:



 

 

 

Having 'dipped out' with the Hawfinch we decided to move on, and twenty minutes after leaving the low lying farmland of Scone we were in the Hills and Glens.

The Sma' Glen to be precise, where we planned to scan the River Almond in search of either a Dipper or Grey Wagtail, preferably both. Although the sun was shining brightly, in the shaded valley of the Sma' Glen it was very cold:

 

Sma' Glen with Dun Mor casting shadows

River Almond in Sma' Glen

It wasn't just cold we were also having no luck on the bird front and 'dipped out' with Dipper and Grey Wagtail. We only saw a couple of crows and they looked cold too, so we decided to head for higher ground and hopefully catch some sun. We headed further up the Sma' Glen and turned right just before Amulree to take us into Glen Quaich.

Here it was much warmer in the sun................. Grant didn't even bother putting his coat on?

 

Grant in Glen Quaich

It really was a beautiful day and the scenery was spectacular (the jam on the scone I thought).

Here is a few pictures to illustrate my point:

 

Glen Quaich looking East

Glen Quaich looking West towards Meall nam Fuaran

 

My photos might not do the scenery justice, but here is a video to supplement them:

 



 

We did however see a few birds here including Lapwing, Pink-footed Geese, Buzzards, more Crows, hundreds of Rabbits ..............oh! and a Red Kite.

By the time I got the camcorder fired up it had almost gone and I only got a few seconds of it flying away passed some big house (so I have done it in slo-mo in the hope you might make it out):

 

 

 

 I could see that this was not going to be a day where I would get stunning wildlife shots!

We moved further into Glen Quaich and stopped alongside lovely Loch Freuchie; once again the scenery stole the show:

 

Loch Freuchie looking East

Loch Freuchie looking North

As well as being picturesque Loch Freuchie is also a winter home to many birds and on the loch that day were Mute swans, Greylag Geese, Mallards, Grebes, coots and hundreds of Canada Geese. You might not make them out in this video but if you have the volume turned up you can certainly hear them, even though they were on the far side of the loch:

 

 

Sounds a bit like we were being hunted by a pack of dogs, but they were feral Canada Geese.

We also saw Lapwing, Pheasant and Red Grouse but once again no decent photographic or video evidence I'm afraid.

Although Grant was driving I suggested that we should complete the round trip by continuing on through Glen Quaich and return via Kenmore, Aberfeldy and the A9. I didn't tell him this involved a dodgy road with hairpin bends over a mountain pass which may still have some snow on it. So it was onwards and upwards (literally):

 



 

Having successfully negotiated the mountain pass the view across to Schiehallion (over 1,000m high!!) and the surrounding mountains was simply stunning:

 



 

Thanks Grant for doing all the driving; which allowed me to capture some good footage of our trip.

Hope you all enjoyed it too!

 

Cheers

 

Teddyedward

 



Going Local

I think anybody who has at least a passing interest in wildlife should have a Local Patch; where they can take time out from their hectic life to sit or walk and enjoy the natural world around them. This could be a local park, a nearby pond, a nature reserve or just your own back garden...........either way it can be somewhere you feel relaxed and can enjoy the wildlife.
I am quite fortunate to have several 'local patches' and I'd like to share some of my recent experiences with the natural world in these areas. Firstly I will start with my back garden, where I have the basic minimum requirements; a small lawn, a couple of bushes/small trees, a bird feeder and a bird bath.
This however is more than enough to attract a few garden birds...................as illustrated below:


Female Chaffinch

Male Chaffinch

Starling in the snow

Starling feeding



Male Siskin on feeder

Male Siskin in bush

Blackbird

Goldfinch

Goldfinches

You looking at me?

Goldfinch in flight

Moving slightly further afield, within a ten minute walk is a local cycle/walk way which makes use of a redundant railway line. It is very popular with dog walkers and cyclist so can be busy at certain times of the day, particularly at the weekend. This can impact on the level of wildlife you see but does not detract from it being an enjoyable walk with some lovely views:


Old Bridge on cycle/walk way

Cycle/Walk Way

Ferry Burn cascading down

Sunlight on Rail Bridge arches

Forth Rail Bridge in afternoon sun

Heron on Dalmeny Ponds

This cycle/walk way carries on for about five or six miles, so you need to give yourself plenty of time if you want to walk it all...........and come back!
I sometimes come off the cycle/walk way at a place called Royal Elizabeth Yard (it used to be a MOD storage depot but now it is just a general transport hub) from here I take an alternative route home. This is often quieter at the weekends and gives you some lovely views of the Pentland Hills just South of Edinburgh:

Pentland Hills

 You do occasionally see some wildlife such as this pheasant in the field:

Cock Pheasant

Or this flock of waders, who were happily roosting in the field until I went past and spooked them.......oops!!

Waders Take-off

Waders Fly Away

And if you are very lucky you might see some Roe Deer such as this buck which is still sporting its antlers:

Apologies for the noise of the cars in the background but it was just off the B800 which can be a busy road at times.
Going a bit further afield there are a few places that are less than a ten minutes drive away (or a twenty minute cycle) and which I consider to still be some of my Local Patches, such as Humbie Pond:


Humbie Pond

Those of you who are observant will notice that there is a family of Swans on the partially frozen pond; those of you are keen birders may have even noticed the bird of prey at the top of the tall tree near to the pond. I did mange to get a closer look at this bird of prey, it is a Buzzard as you might (or might not) make out from this video clip:

Certainly the bird that was calling 'keyaah' sounds like a Buzzard to me.
Another favourite haunt of mine is a little wooded area that lies just north of Edinburgh Airport:

Come Fly With Me

Up, Up and Away

 

Despite being less than half a mile from the airport Pepper Wood is a tranquil place, and although it is a small woodland it is well worth a walk round. The fields surrounding it are always worth checking out as well; I have seen large flocks of Pink-footed Geese, Fieldfare and Lapwings in these fields.

My recent visit to Pepper Wood was special for a much more common bird, everybody's favourite......the Robin:

 

Robin in Pepper Wood

This little bird followed me all around the woodland, anywhere I went he (or maybe she) went; and it wasn't afraid to come close to me:

Robin Close-up

Robin very close

It became apparent that on this snowy day the Robin was looking for food. Perhaps someone had been feeding this bird on previous days and it had equated people to food, whatever the case it followed me everywhere. There was also a Great Tit following me, but anytime it got close the Robin would chase it away. The only thing I had to eat with me was an Eccles Cake, so I dropped a few crumbs on a snowy tree stump and got my camcorder ready for the showdown:

I hope that you enjoyed my trip round some of my local patches, perhaps it might encourage you to get out a find your own local patch, if you haven't already done so.

Take care and enjoy yourself

Teddyedward