Spring Round-up 2024

 As the title suggests this is a round-up of what's been happening in our area and places we visited over the Spring months. It doesn't repeat things I have already covered in earlier blogs this year and concentrates mainly on the wildlife we encountered during April and May.

Let's start with our local area and in particular our garden. Early on in April the garden look much like it did in Winter, with only a few deciduous trees and bushes starting to bud:

The Garden in Early April

 However the signs of Spring were starting to appear. Birds were exploring the garden and the surrounding scrubland looking for potential nest sites:

Magpie in the garden

Wren on the Fence Post

There were new lambs in the fields beyond the scrubland and the spring flowers were appearing in the garden:

Spring Daffodils

White Daffodils

Ewes and Lambs in Field

If you like watching Spring lambs here is a little video for you taken over our garden fence:

Very cute!

In early April Blue Tits started to show interest in our bird box:

As we moved through April the birds seemed to be getting very excited; this little Wren was dancing about on the garden fence:

Excited Wren on Fence

This Magpie was busily searching through the leaf litter looking for grubs to eat:

A pair of Magpies decided to nest in one of the Cherry Trees near to our back garden, but it was so high up and well camouflaged by branches, so I didn't get any photos if them.

By the end of April the garden was starting to look a bit more Spring-like as leaves were appearing on the shrubs and trees:

Spring in our Garden

Garden is Springing into life

Several Blue Tits seemed to be spending more time in our garden, either on the feeders and at the bird box:

Blue Tit on Feeder

At one point we had no less than three Blue Tits visiting the bird box at the same time:

We thought we were on a winner when we saw two of these Blue Tits collecting nesting material for lining the bird box:

However nesting did not happen; one Blue Tit took up residence in the box and he/she chased all others away. We called it Nibbler as they spent all their time nibbling the edges of the entrance hole and was very aggressive if another Blue Tit showed any interest in the nest box.

One unexpected thing that did happen in my garden was that a Sparrowhawk landed on our fence post, then flew off leaving a dead Starling behind. I didn't get a photo of the Sparrowhawk so I decided to set up my trail camera on a tree looking towards the Starling carcass. That way if the Sparrowhawk returned for it's dinner I would catch it on video.

Nothing happened for the rest of that day so I left the camera out all night; this is what I managed to capture:

No Sparrowhawk, only a Blue Tit in the morning.......................... but what about the Badger in the scrubland on the other side of the fence,  just after one o'clock in the morning! Brilliant!!!

At the start of May I travelled down to East Ayrshire to carry out my annual Upland Breeding Bird Survey for the BTO. I camped at Loch Doon Caravan Park over night and carried out the survey in the hills to the North East of Loch Doon the next morning.

Here are some of the views from the caravan park area:

Loch Doon View

The Main Dam at Loch Doon

Here is just some of the wildlife I saw in the area near the caravan park, starting with a Formula 1 Beetle:

It really was that fast, I didn't speed up the video. I think it might be a type of Click Beetle, it was certainly an impressive metallic copper colour, and it was in a hurry.

There was also a striking Male Wheatear perching on a post in the caravan park:

Sorry about the wobbly camera, I had my old camcorder with me and it's image stabiliser isn't as good as my new camera (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it)

Early the next morning I got up, had some breakfast then headed to the other side of the loch to carry out my survey.

East Dam at Loch Doon

My survey starts at this East Dam then heads up the nearby hillside before returning to the shores of the loch:

Loch Doon from Survey mid-point

The Southern Uplands

I didn't take many photos during the survey as I am pretty busy recording what I hear and see on the hillside, but here are a few:

Tiny Anemone (I think)

Yellow Bog Plant?

Hairy Caterpillar

After the survey I managed to capture this little Whinchat on video:

Not the best of videos I'm afraid, but a good little upland bird to see.

Meanwhile back in our garden Spring was in full song; in particular this Song Thrush who sang from the crack of dawn through to late in the evening (even if it was dark):

Song Thrush singing in the morning

Song Thrush singing in the evening

If you don't know what a Song Thrush song is like then listen in:

It is quite repetitive, but it does interject with some other tunes occasionally. It not a bad song, but after about 16 hours of it you have had enough. It does this to compete with other Song Thrushes for territory and to attract the females. At one point it was having a sing-off with a Chaffinch, which didn't make sense. 

Other birds visiting the garden included some Dunnocks, Magpies which were nesting in the Cherry Tree and some sleepy Greylag Geese in the nearby field:

Dunnock on the Fence

Magpie on the Grass

Sleepy Geese in the Field

Later on in May we headed North in the motorhome to spend a few days in Banchory on the banks of the River Dee. The weather was great the first couple of days we were there, but showery with occasional heavy rain the other days.

Here are some photos from the nicer days:

River Dee near Banchory

River Dee

 

There was a great riverside walk at the rear of the caravan park, where we saw this Heron on the opposite bank:

Heron on banks of River Dee

However the highlight was when we went down to the river's edge and were visited by this beautiful Grey Wagtail:

Pebble Beach on River Dee

Grey Wagtail Singing

Grey Wagtail Posing

It is not unusual to see Grey Wagtails on Scottish rivers, but they usually are on stones in the middle of the river and you see mostly grey with only a glimpse of the bright yellow underside. This one perched on a branch next to us and then proceeded to sing!

Marvellous! it almost looks tropical, a memory to savour. The weather towards the end of the week turned tropical as well, during monsoon season. We left a day early before the thunderstorms took hold and headed home.

Back home in late May the garden was looking very lush and colourful:

Verdant Scrubland

Purple Flowery Shrub

Pink Flowery Shrub

Well that's it for my Spring Round-up, hope you enjoyed it.

Take Care

Teddy Edward

Cellardyke and Anstruther

 Back in the middle of April (which somehow seems a long time ago) we took our first trip out in the motorhome for the 2024 season. Being our first trip for over 4 months we decided to go to somewhere we were familiar with, to Silverdykes Caravan Park near Cellardyke.

It was the ideal location for a first trip, not too far away and with plenty of places to visit in walking distance. We were also lucky enough to have friends in the area that we could visit or they could come to the van and visit us.

After getting the van all set up and having a spot of lunch we headed out of the caravan park towards the lovely village of Cellardyke. The weather was good and the views from the high ground (which the caravan park sits on) were tremendous:

View over Cellardyke

Looking out to the Isle of May

View towards Caiplie

We carried on down the hill to the village and headed along the East End until we reached Cellardyke Harbour, known locally as Skinfast Haven:

The Harbour at Cellardyke

Skinfast Haven

We carried on along the East End road and into George Street with it's tightly packed houses and little lanes leading down to the waterside. We nipped down one of these lanes (Urquhart Wynd) to enjoy the sea views:

View from Urquhart Wynd

Cellardyke Harbour Wall

Man on the rocks

It really was a glorious day, a little bit chilly but still very pleasant in the afternoon sunshine. We carried on heading West along John Street until it met Tollbooth Wynd, once again there was a lane down to the sea. This time we had a slightly different outlook including a view across the Forth Estuary towards East Lothian:

Isle of May from Tollbooth Wynd

East Lothian Coast from Cellardyke

Towards North Berwick and The Bass Rock

Just stunning!

We crossed over on to James Street and continued our journey towards Anstruther. 

As we turned the corner at the East Shore of Anstruther we were greeted by the sight of a large, brand-spanking-new lifeboat sitting outside the RLNI Station. It was impressive and the tractor thingy it was sitting on was equally impressive:

Anstruther's New Lifeboat

Impressive Lifeboat Tractor

We walked around to the front of the lifeboat station and were a bit surprised to see that the old lifeboat was still in the hanger (or whatever a lifeboat garage is called). It was pretty obvious that the new boat would be unlikely to fit in the current building and this was confirmed when we spoke to one of the lifeboat crew:

Old Lifeboat and Crew Member (not that old)

Moira with Two Anstruther Lifeboats

The crew member was able to tell us that both lifeboats would be with them for several weeks until all the crew had been trained on the new, more technical advanced lifeboat. She also advised that they would have to build a bigger garage to put it in.

We continued our walk with a stroll around Anstruther Harbour, enjoying the wide variety of boats on view:

The Reaper a 'Fifie' fishing boat built in 1903

Boats in Anstruther Harbour

The Harbour at Ainster

We also enjoyed the views from the harbour wall:

View from Anstruther Harbour

Looking towards Castle Street, Anstruther

Looking towards Shore Street, Anstruther

It was starting to get a bit colder and we were feeling a bit peckish so we decided to head to the famous Anstruther Fish Bar for something to eat:

Cold and Peckish in Ainster

Moira had Haddock in Breadcrumbs with chips and I had Smoked Haddock and chips. It was nice but we have had better fish n chips at this Fish Bar.

After our fish tea we headed back towards Cellardyke, stopping briefly at East Shore to admire a sculpture that we missed on the way in as we were distracted by a large lifeboat. The sculpture was a fishing boat with fish in its net, the boat looked particularly good against the white paint of an adjacent building:

Fishing Boat Sculpture

White Fishing Boat

I do love a sculpture!

East Shore is also a nice place to enjoy the seascape, so here is a little photo and a panoramic video for you to enjoy:

Anstruther Harbour Wall from East Shore

We continued on towards Silverdykes............ our next distraction being a Drake Eider having a swim in the water at Skinfast Haven:

Drake Eider

Here's a video of the Eider as well:

With the low evening sun the view down the harbour towards the opening look particularly dramatic, you could even see North Berwick Law in the distance:

Skinfast Haven at Dusk

North Berwick Law through the harbour opening

If you look closely at the last photo you can even see a Drake Eider displaying.

We finally made it back to the motorhome at Silverdykes before sunset (just) and what a lovely sunset it was:

Sunset at Silverdykes

Dramatic Skies

Strangely like a painting

Next morning we weren't up too early and milled around the campsite doing all the usual chores before stopping for a spot of lunch. In the afternoon we had a couple of visitors; my friend Ewan and his wife Alison popped in to see us.

We some tea and biscuits (and a good natter) before heading out for a walk along the coastal path. It was still a bit breezy but not quite so cold as we walked along the shoreline looking at the birds:

Oystercatcher on the rocks

Eider Duck

Greater Black-backed Gulls

We also enjoyed the views from the Kilrenny Mill shoreline:

Kilrenny Mill Seascape

Enjoying the views

Kayak going past

As there weren't too many birds about at this point I ended up with a video of a kayaker:

Rather than continue further along the shoreline I suggested that we head uphill through the caravan park and towards Kilrenny.  Moira and Alison were happy with this suggestion and Ewan was biting his nails with excitement:

Alison and Moira near Kilrenny Mill caravan park

Ewan at Kilrenny Mill pumping station

As we headed up the hill the wind seemed to drop and the sun felt a bit warmer, maybe it was just the effort of walking uphill!

After passing through the caravan park we stopped at a small clump of trees where we spotted a few birds, firstly there was a Goldfinch:

Secondly there was a Blue Tit going in and out of a hole in a nearby tree trunk. Initially I thought it was taking nesting material into the hole, however when I looked back at the video it was evident that it was taking what looked like soft wood out of the hole?

We carried on up the hill to the mill pond area; this is where the water from the Kilrenny burn would have been diverted and stored for powering the mill in days of old. Now it is just a wet area that is good for the vegetation and the wildlife:

Mill Pond Area

Trees near Mill Pond

 Last time I was here there were Herons nesting in one of the trees near the mill pond, now it seems to be taken over by some Magpies:

Magpie near Mill Pond Area

Magpie at old Heron Nest

We continued up the track towards Kilrenny:

The track to Kilrenny

Here we spotted a few common birds such as Blue Tits and Chaffinches, ever hopeful that we might spot a Corn Bunting (which I have previously seen in this area), but not this time. So here is a Blue Tit and some spring Daffodils instead:

Blue Tit near Kilrenny

Spring Daffs

We did hear a Chiffchaff calling several times along the track, but it wasn't until we reached the main road at Kilrenny that we got a good view of it. I also thought that I got a good video of it, unfortunately I was focussed on the wrong branch and got a great video of some 'old man's beard' lichen..

We then had a stroll through the little village of Kilrenny, which was interesting and very enjoyable in the afternoon sunshine. We didn't see any further wildlife worth photographing, so I kept my camera in my pocket.

When we got back to the caravan park it was time for Ewan and Alison to head home; thanks for visiting us.

We returned to the motorhome for a quiet night and in the next morning we got up bright and early-ish and caught the bus to St Andrews to do some shopping (my favourite). It was clothes shopping so not quite as bad as grocery shopping. 

First stop was an essential visit to Bibi's cafe for a spot of brunch; I had the Stornoway Stack and Moira had here favourite Blueberry Pancakes with Bacon. Set us up for some serious shopping. I didn't take any photographs of the food or the shops, nor did I take any of the historic buildings or sea views, so let's just skip forward to evening time.

Despite a showery sort of day it turned out to be a lovely evening so I took myself for a little walk along the lane that runs from Silverdykes to Kilrenny Mill.

The high lane from Silverdykes to Kilrenny Mill

View from High Lane

View towards Isle of May

It was such a lovely evening, the moon was out and the birds were singing (some of them anyway)

The Moon was out!

As I looked out to sea I tracked a Gannet flying towards Cellardyke in the hope that it might plunge dive into the water for some fish (a great spectacle even at this distance):

It's a pity that the rooftops obscured the final entry, but that's life.

As I walked along the high lane I kept an eye on the telephone lines, also worth checking for Corn Bunting, once again no such luck. Did get Carrion Crow and Greenfinch though:

Carrion Crow

Greenfinch

Greenfinch stayed long enough for me to get a video:

I walked as far as the Mill Pond before turning back, here are some photos of what I seen:

View over Kilrenny Mill

Kilrenny Mill Pond

Road towards Kilrenny

On the way back the sun was low in the sky and the combination of light and shade was quite dramatic:

Blackbird taking a bath

Puddleduck?

It was fun to watch the Blackbird having its evening bath:

I then heard the plaintive song of a Yellowhammer coming from the hedge:

Yellowhammer in the hedge

Luckily it stayed there long enough for me to tip-toe along the side of the hedge for a better view:

Yellowhammer near Cellardyke

Lovely Male Yellowhammer

It even sung for me! but not when I got closer:

The low sun of the evening shed also some light on some of the islands and other distant features visible from this high path above Cellardyke:

Isle of May

Bass Rock

North Berwick Law

................. and at the end of my evening stroll, I was treated to a flypast:

Sorry for the wobbly camera but it was hard to keep it in focus as it circled around me.

The next morning the weather wasn't great so we chilled in the motorhome. We did brave the weather in the afternoon for a stroll along the shoreline at Cellardyke. Most of the birds were hunkered down because of the wind, but I did see this lovely Pied/White Wagtail:

I will leave it up to the experts to decide whether it was 'Pied' or 'White' either way it was a nice bird to see.

The light was a bit grey and gloomy making it difficult to pick out the birds along the shoreline, for instance how many Curlew can you see in these photos:

Curlews on the shoreline

Spot the Curlews in the rocks

The video might help:

I made it at least five birds, maybe six.

We carried on along the coastal path, enjoying the dramatic views on this overcast day:

Looking towards Cellardyke

East Lothian coastline in the distance

Towards the Isle of May

A little further along we came across a rocky cove where there were plenty of birds sheltering from the weather. Even using binoculars you still had to 'get your eye in' to see what was there:

I spotted Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Oystercatcher, Eider, Redshank and Turnstone, but there may have been others?

Moira spotted a Heron behind the gulls, but I didn't see it until I changed my angle of view:

After this we headed back towards Cellardyke and the comfort of the motorhome, here are a few birds we spotted on the way back:

Birds on the shoreline near Cellardyke

Eiders and Gulls

This was our last full day at Silverdyke and in the evening we were invited to join our friends Ken & Amanda (who live nearby) for a meal and drinks in their house. It was a lovely meal and we had a few drinks and a lot of chatting, making a nice end to our visit to the East Neuk. Thanks Ken and Amanda, next time you must to come to our house.

So that's it folks, until next time.

Take care,

Teddyedward