Kilpatrick Hills, West Dunbartonshire

The distant Lomonds glowed pink at dawn as we lay on our bellies in the thick heather and snow: watching the stout jet-black birds with fanned tails as white as the snow that lay around them. I was with my dad at a Black Grouse (Tetrao tetrix) lekking-site in the North East of the Kilpatrick Hills.

We tried to inch closer through the tangle of heather - our clothes were soaked with snow-melt. The wary birds flew up and landed in the birch trees.

We lay in the snow for a further 15 minutes...the Black Grouse returned.
13 males on the lek site and 13 females sitting somewhere in the heather nearby. We watched them strut around for a bit - the lekking period is still a long way off.

The Black Grouse like to gather at this site throughout the year - to size each other up and establish pecking orders/hierarchies before the intensive lekking period when males compete for females.

Suddenly, the grouse flew up again - spooked by our presence. We waited for another 20 minutes in the unbearable freezing cold and then walked over to examine the lek site.

The snow was imprinted with 3-toed tracks and besmirched with ridiculously large piles of droppings. These birds can seriously poo.
Here and there lay scattered black feathers - I collected some to add to my collection.

After this, we walked to The Whangie: a distinctive rock feature near Burn Crooks Reservoir. Basically, it's a narrow pass/gouge through a rocky cliff. The steep walls of rock at either side are many metres high: it's like a fortress carved by natural forces.

The Whangie

Flying overhead, a pair of Ravens (Corvus corax) croaked hoarsely at us - there is always a pair nesting here during the summer. The wedge-shaped tail and 'fingered' wings are distinctive, as well as the sheer size: this is the largest species of corvid in the world, weighing up to 1.6kg.

Raven (Corvus corax)

This footprint (below) belongs to a Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes). Unlike a dog's footprint, the 4 toe pads are positioned together in front of the central foot-pad and the whole foot-print is oval-shaped.

Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) foot-print

Large blocks of compacted, ice-crusted snow had formed around the Whangie and we struggled to plough our way through.

We put up a small group of Red Grouse (Lagopus lagopus) above Burncrooks Reservoir - they left behind their plodding tracks:

Red Grouse (Lagopus lagopus) foot-prints

...and wing-beats as they took off...

Red Grouse (Lagopus lagopus) wing-beats in snow

At Burncrooks Reservoir we spotted a male Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) singing from the top of a pine, a pair of Bullfinches (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) and a Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus).

In the fields near the road to Burncrooks we saw a large winter flock of Reed Buntings (Emberiza schoeniclus).

Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus) female

The snowy Campsie Fells (nearly 600 metres in height), to the East of the Kilpatrick Hills, looked spectacular.

Campsie Fells

Campsie Fells

On the way to Carbeth Inn (where we would stop for a coffee and a warm up), we passed this little Robin (Erithacus rubecula).

Robin (Erithacus rubecula)

Robins are one of the few birds that sing right through the harshest winter months - possibly why they are associated with Christmas time. Both males and females sing at this time of year, defending their separate territories from intruders.

Kilpatrick Hills, West Dunbartonshire

This week we experienced the deepest snow-fall in over 20 years - waist-high in parts of the Kilpatrick Hills!

Keen to look for tracks and trails - my dad and I took a circular route up to the Greenside Reservoir and back.

Above the layer of fog which lay across Glasgow and the Clyde valley, the sky was clear azure-blue and the snow sparkled brilliantly in the sunshine.

The hills were transformed by the snow, mist and sun, into an almost lunar landscape - our footprints were the first human ones on this unfamiliar terrain.

Further into the hills, the snow proved a real challenge to walk through.

Walking up the Cochno Hill towards the Greenside, a foraging flock of Reed Buntings (Emberiza scheoniclus) alighted on the snow ahead of us.

Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus) female

The view from the Greenside was spectacular! Duncolm is a volcanic plug - at 401 metres it is the highest point in the Kilpatrick Hills. Covered with snow, it somewhat resembled a huge dumpling, dusted with icing sugar! Yum!
*now craving mum's home-made dumpling*

...EXACTLY the sort of high energy food you should bring with you on a hike like this!

View of Duncolm

Greenside Reservoir

The snow really brings out the textures of grasses and reeds:











In the snow, even shy and reclusive animals cannot help but leave a record of their movements.

These footprints (at Little Round Top) belong to a Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus):

Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) footprints

These tiny footprints (below) most likely belong to either a Bank Vole or Field Vole (no tail drag - unlike a Wood Mouse's footprints).

Vole footprints

We found these much larger tracks near the Greenside Reservoir - they belong to a Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus). The distance between strides was over 2 metres!! These graceful long-legged gallopers have a very different gait from rabbits.

Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus) footprints

Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus) footprints

These large, long-clawed footprints belong to a Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis): note the lack of tail drag.

Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) footprints

Kilpatrick Hills, West Dunbartonshire

The summer is fading fast... now is the time to appreciate the last explosions of colour and life before the onset of winter. This is berry-picking and fungi-foraying time. My mum makes jelly and jam every year from the local wild fruits. We went together to have a look at the old Crab Apple trees to the SW of Little Round Top.

On the way, we passed the old Bullace (Prunus domestica subsp. insititia) hedges at the bottom of Beeches Road (near the Gas Station). The branches were crammed with unusually large Bullaces.

Bullace (Prunus domestica insititia)

Bullace (Prunus domestica insititia)

Bullace (Prunus domestica insititia)

The Bullace and the Damson are both primitive varieties of the Plum (Prunus domestica). The taste of a Bullace is like a slightly less sour version of the Sloe (Prunus spinosa). Very slightly less sour, still not what I would call edible. They make a lovely jam though!

My mum also makes jam/jelly out of Elderberries (Sambucus nigra), Dog Rose-hips (Rosa canina), Brambles (Rubus fruticosus), Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) and Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia).

Elder (Sambucus nigra)

The edible fruits of the Elder (Sambucus nigra) can be used to make pies/tarts, jam and fruit wine. The berries have an unpleasant bitter/acidic taste and when boiled up they smell like musty old socks.

The ripe berries and flowers are edible but the rest of the plant is poisonous and contains cyanogenic glycoside sambunigrin. The bark contains calcium oxalate crystals (CaC2O4) which are also highly poisonous.

We were disappointed to find that the Crab Apple trees bore no fruit at all this year.

At this point I headed on up into the hills on my own to look for fungi.

In the field near the old piggery (now abandoned) I disturbed a Brown hare (Lepus europaeus).

Bramble (Rubus fruticosus)

Bramble (Rubus fruticosus)

Dog Roses (Rosa canina) are also fruiting:

Dog Rose (Rosa canina)

The banana-like pods below, belong to the Yellow Flag (Iris pseudacorus):

Yellow Flag (Iris pseudacorus) seed-pods

Devil's Bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis) and Marsh Ragwort (Senecio aquaticus) are flowering at Little Round Top.

Marsh Ragwort (Senecio aquaticus)

Devil's Bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis)

Devil's Bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis) was used in times past to treat scabies and other skin afflictions: 'scabious' comes from the Latin word 'scabere', meaning 'to scratch'.

I walked to the Hidden Valley (Haw Craig) and followed the strip of oak and birch woodland which extends from the top of Glenarbuck to the quarry at Rigangower. I collected a sample specimen of each mushroom species I came across.


Fungal Foray!

Here are the fungi I collected - the fungi look a bit withered because it took me hours to identify some of them.

Common Earthball (Scleroderma citrinum)

Common Earthball (Scleroderma citrinum)

These Common Earthballs (Scleroderma citrinum) were collected in the oak/birch wood above Glenarbuck. The scientific name means 'hard-skin lemon-yellow' (Sclero = hard + derma = skin, citrinum = lemon-yellow). This fungus is inedible.

Bonnet Mycena (Mycena galericulatus)

Bonnet Mycena (Mycena galericulatus)

The Bonnet Mycena (Mycena galericulata) was collected from above Glenarbuck, it is said to be 'edible but not worthwhile'.

Earthy Powder-cap (Cystoderma amianthinum)

The Earthy Powder-cap (Cystoderma amianthinum), also collected above Glenarbuck, is not edible. Its latin name means 'blister-skin like-asbestos' (Cysto = blister/vesicle + derma = skin, amianthinum = like/of asbestos).

Blackening Waxcap (Hygrocybe conica)

Blackening Waxcap (Hygrocybe conica)

The Blackening Waxcap (Hygrocybe conica) was collected from the rough grassland at Haw Craig. The edibility of this species is uncertain. The flesh is yellow and bruises black, giving it a charred look.

Amethyst Deceiver (Laccaria amethystea)

Amethyst Deceiver (Laccaria amethystea)

The vivid violet colour of the Amethyst Deciever (Laccaria amethystea) fades with age: these specimens (collected at Glenarbuck) have lost most of their colour. This species is edible.

Hypholoma sp.

Hypholoma sp.

Russula sp. (possibly cyanoxantha or xerampelina?)

Russula sp. (possibly cyanoxantha or xerampelina?)

Russula sp. (possibly cyanoxantha or xerampelina?)

Egghead Mottlegill (Panaeolus semiovatus) 

Egghead Mottlegill (Panaeolus semiovatus)

I collected the Egghead Mottlegill (Panaeolus semiovatus) from the rough grassland at Haw Craig - this species is inedible.