After all the mountaineering yesterday, we decided that today would be at a gentler pace, We headed for the Galloway Forest Park, more specifically the RSPB's reserve Wood of Cree, after which we would have a leisurely drive down to the Mull of Galloway, Scotland's most southerly point!| After another excellent breakfast we headed off, the drive was fairly routine although picturesque the only sightings of note were a couple of Red Kite and large skein of geese high north, on the views I had would say Pinkfeet but they were high up and I was driving!!
The main target on the woodland half of the day was Wood Warbler, with Pied Fly, Tree Pipit and Redstart also on the wanted list. Well Tree Pipit was easy with one singing and making sporadic song flights from a dead tree next to the car park!!
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| Tree Pipit |
We entered the woodland, the path followed a small river, I could hear at least three Wood Warblers singing but they were fairly distant, the wood was fairly quite with brief views of common woodland birds such as Chaffinch and Blue Tit, Margie eventually spotted movement in the scrub, which turned out to be a female Pied Flycatcher, but views were brief and not very satisfactory! We met another birding couple who had seen a couple of Redstarts and a male Pied Fly but even when I did get on something it turned out to be a Blackcap! Still there was plenty to see with some nice flowers and lichens and the stream was pretty photogenic! Some of Margie's efforts below!
As we looped back towards the car park a Wood Warbler started singing at close quarters, half a very frustrating, hour later I had some usable pictures, lovely to watch it's whole body shaking as it sang, also interesting on numerous occasions it would start it's song on one branch and mid song fly a short distance to another. Getting pics was another thing,conversations went like this
Me "can you see it"
Margie "in the tree!"
Me "which effing tree we're in a wood"
Margie "the white one"
Me which effing white one"
Margie, pointing "that one"
Me " got him, Bollocks he's flown"!!!
and repeat 😂
In the end I got some okish pics!!
Bit of overkill on the Wood Warbler shots, but he did save the morning!!
We headed back to the car, stopping off at the Otter Pool, predictably Otterless but we did have a flyover Buzzard and a couple of Grey wagtails were feeding in the margins a nice Willow Warbler came quite close as well, As we drove off we had a Cuckoo on a wire but by the time I'd stopped and got the camera out it had flown into a large tree, where it hid itself mocking me with loud calls!!
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| Buzzard |
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| Grey Wagtail |
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| The Tree Pipit still giving it large |
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| The Otter Pool by Margie |
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| Willow Warbler |
With plenty of time left in the day we headed down to the Mull of Galloway, supposedly the most Southern Point in Scotland! Another relaxing drive through very nice countryside, the weather although a bit nippy was gloriously sunny when we arrived on the headland, the views all around were spectacular, with views of The Isle of Man, England, Ireland and I think Wales! We could see rain in various places but it never got close!
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| The Gorse was glorious throughout our trip |
We lucked in with time, with the tides running strong the sea was roiling away impressively!! Though hard to catch effectively on camera!!
Tomorrow we head north!!!!
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| Starlings on the roof of our room! |
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