Kilpatrick Hills, West Dunbartonshire

I went looking for Roe Deer fawns: the second week in June is the best time, a week later and they will be up on their feet and running about. I tried to cover some of the best Roe Deer habitat: walking from Little Round Top wood to the Mohican woods.

I found this White Ermine Moth (Spilosoma lubricipeda) at Little Round Top:

White Ermine (spilosoma lubricipeda)

White Ermine (spilosoma lubricipeda)

Like many other members of the Arctiidae family, the White Ermine can sequester pyrrolizidine alkaloids which makes it toxic to predators. The White Ermine's scientific name means 'spotted-body slippery-feet' (Spilo = spotted + soma = body in Greek, and lubrici = slippery + peda = feet, in Latin).

There were lots of butterflies in the damp meadow above Little Round Top: Orange-tips, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries, Small Coppers and Green-veined Whites.

Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum)

Crosswort (Cruciata laevipes)

Cuckoo Flower (Cardamine pratensis)

Cuckoo Flower (Cardamine pratensis)

Cuckoo Flowers look good enough to eat...and they are! Full of vitamin C too. The whole plant has a sharp, peppery taste.

Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)

Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)

Eared Willow (Salix aurita)

Eared Willow (Salix aurita)

Eared Willow (Salix aurita)

Eared Willow (Salix aurita) is named after the triangular stipules (leafy extensions) which are present at the bases of the leaf-stems: this is the main identification feature. The extremely short-stalked, pear-shaped leaves have greyish-white felted underneaths and wrinkled upper surfaces. All these features enable this willow to be distinguished from the many other Salix species found in the UK.

Common Sorrel (Rumex acetosa)

Common Sorrel (Rumex acetosa)

The gloriously pink-red globular flowers of Common Sorrel (Rumex acetosa) are often overlooked. The sour 'bite' in the edible leaves is due to the high oxalic acid content: the leaves can be made into soup or used in salads (oxalic acid can cause mineral deficiencies if eaten excessively).

Sorrel leaves are fever-reducing, contain vitamin C and are astringent (constrict mucous membranes/stem bleeding).

Variations on Sorrel Soup:
http://www.gastronomersguide.com/2009/05/sorrel-soup.html#more
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/allotment/2010/jun/04/allotments-gardens
http://www.eatweeds.co.uk/common-sorrel-soup-recipe

Silverweed (Potentilla anserina)

Silverweed (Potentilla anserina)

Silverweed (Potentilla anserina)

Fern

Water Cress (Nasturtium officinale)

Water Cress (Nasturtium officinale)

Water Cress is another excellent wild leafy green and is rich in vitamins and minerals (including vitamins A & C and iron). Leaves can be eaten raw but it is strongly recommended that you cook them in order to kill any liver flukes. Flukes are found in areas with sheep (which is pretty much EVERYWHERE in Scotland) and form cysts on aquatic vegetation in order to reach their final host (sheep or human).

That warning aside, a plethora of delicious recipes devoted to Water Cress can be found here: http://www.watercress.co.uk/.

The Mohican Woods are really overgrown with nettles and brambles, I had a tough job getting through, but was rewarded with a close view of a Spotted Flycatcher (Western side of the woods). Almost immediately afterwards, I was scolded by a pair of Willow Warblers:

Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)

Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)

Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)

Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)

Telling the Phylloscopus warblers apart is no easy task!

Each species has its own distinctive song: the Willow Warbler's is a loose, descending warbling-trill (described by many as a 'dying fall').
Listen to it here: http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/w/willowwarbler/index.aspx

'Leaf-looking a-very-small-bird' is the literal translation of the Willow Warbler's scientific name (Phyllo = leaf + scopus = looking/exploring, and trochilus = a type of very small bird, all from Latin).

Compared to the Chiffchaff, the Willow Warbler has a more pronounced eyebrow (which extends well beyond the eye) and has pale pinkish-brown legs (the Chiffchaff has black legs).
The Wood Warbler has much greater colour contrast: a distinctly olive back and white belly, noticeably yellow breast and bold eyebrow.

Whilst taking these photos, I got badly bitten by midges...my arms were covered in welts which itched for days :(

I never managed to find any fawns, but on my way home I disturbed a female Roe Deer (very plump, possibly pregnant?) which had been lying in the reedy field below the Test. She turned and made a snorting angry sound, ran towards the nearest gorse bushes and then turned again to throw some more insults.

In this same field I found the wing of a male Mallard (a fox-victim) and I took home some purple irridescent speculum feathers.

My last sighting of the day was a flock of Linnets, which flew up from a field near Beeches Road: I caught just a glimpse of the male's red forehead in the sunshine.