Scottish Wildlife Blog

Kilpatrick Hills, West Dunbartonshire

2011-07-22T17:21:00.000-07:00

I walked from Duntocher to the Test again, taking the longer route above Little Round Top Wood to avoid the boisterous bullocks in the fields below. This route is short yet encompasses a wide variety of habitats (Ash/Hazel woodland, gorse scrub, dry grassland, damp flower-rich meadows, moorland and reedy willowy marshland).

Marsh Ragwort (Senecio aquaticus)

Despite receiving lots of bad press, both Marsh Ragwort (Senecio aquaticus) and Common Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) are native plants and are a vital food source for many insects (for example, the plume moth Platyptilia isodactylus feeds ONLY on Marsh Ragwort).

Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria)

Meadowsweet is a sweet scented, non-toxic plant with analgesic (pain relieving) and antiseptic properties. Salicylic acid extracted from Meadowsweet was used by chemists at Bayer AG to synthesize a new painkiller - acetylsalicylic acid - which they named aspirin (derived from Meadowsweet's old genus name rearranged: Spiraea).

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Yarrow has flat-topped clusters of potently aromatic flowers coloured either milky white or various shades of pink (from pale candyfloss to a deep raspberry icecream).

One of the most highly regarded plants in herbal medicine, Yarrow is antimicrobial/antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, choleretic (increasing bile secretion), vasodilatory and promotes the healing of wounds.
Its feathery leaves are mentioned in its other common names Milfoil and Thousand-leaf and also in the species name millefolium (mille = thousand + folium = leaf: Latin).

There were plenty of Meadow Brown butterflies on the wing and I managed to photograph one with its wings open for a change, revealing the foxy-orange patches and black eye-spots.

Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) female

This individual is a female, males are a darker brown with much smaller orange patches.

Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia)

In late summer the moorland is at its most vivid: heather is freshly magenta-purple or lilac and the wild grasses have dried to a crispy gold. Above the Test there is mostly Bell Heather (Erica cinerea) with some Cross-leaved Heather (Erica tetralix) in the boggier parts.

I followed the old track (overgrown with Gorse) that leads down from the Test southeast to Little Round Top. At a marshy point to the side of this path I discovered a plant which I have never seen before: Knotted Pearlwort (Sagina nodosa).

Knotted Pearlwort (Sagina nodosa)

The key features identification features of Knotted Pearlwort are:

Stubby bunches of leaf shoots which form 'knots' along the stems.
Completely white (unnotched) petals twice as long as sepals (the green flaps underneath petals).
5 white centrally-placed styles surrounded by 10 white stamens.

Knotted Pearlwort's scientific name translates as 'Fodder, knotted' (sagina = fodder, nodosa = knotted: Latin).

Kilpatrick Hills, West Dunbartonshire

2011-07-10T18:08:00.000-07:00

The route I followed on today's (short) walk was: Duntocher to the Test (OS map grid reference: NS 475 743) via Little Round Top Wood (NS 476 735), this time crossing the marshland meadow above it.

Bittersweet (Solanum dulcamara)

Bittersweet (also known as Woody Nightshade) was growing through a hedge at the side of Beeches Road (field boundary near crossroads).

Bittersweet is a close relative of Potato, Tomato and Aubergine (all these plants belong to the genus Solanum and all have poisonous foliage). Unlike its partially edible relations: all parts of Bittersweet (including the attractive fruits) contain the glycoalkaloid poison solanine and cause nausea and stomach cramps if consumed.

I found 3 Six-spot Burnet moths in the rough grassland above Little Round Top Wood, they all looked a bit worn (probably the end of their flight period).
These day-flying moths produce cyanogenic glucosides and can also sequester those produced by their foodplant (Common Bird's-foot Trefoil). When broken down, the cyanogenic glucosides release poisonous hydrogen cyanide: their crimson-spotted wings are an aposematic warning to predators.

Six-spot Burnet (Zygaena filipendulae)

Hairy Thyme (Thymus praecox)

Surprisingly few bees around at the moment - I've scarcely seen any this summer, even the dense clumps of thyme were empty.

At the Test I found a Sparrowhawk kill: a clump of feathers which probably belonged to a Meadow Pipit.

I also found this large female Drinker moth:

Drinker moth (Euthrix potatoria) female

Drinker moth (Euthrix potatoria) female, laying eggs

Difficult to photograph due to the blustery wind!
The irritatingly hairy caterpillars of this moth feed on wild grasses and reeds: these eggs will hatch in a month's time and the larvae will spend the winter in their larval stage (pupating the following summer).

In the sheep-grazed grassland south of the Test, I found the diminutive white flowers of Fairy Flax (Linum catharticum): a non-edible, wild relative of Flax (the plant from which linseed is obtained).

Fairy Flax (Linum catharticum)

Kilpatrick Hills, West Dunbartonshire

2011-06-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

Today I walked to the hidden valley of Haw Craig (via the Humphrey Road) and followed the treeline north of the Hill of Dun, to Glenarbuck and the Triangle Reservoir.

I found a dead Stoat at the bottom of Beeches Road, close to the collapsed WW2 bomb shelter (now a pile of concrete slabs).

As I crossed the sheep field above Haw Craig, a Brown Hare started up from under my feet - a magnificently large individual.

Sitting on the cliff overlooking Haw Craig, I heard harsh chattering and caught a brief flash of colour as a Jay swiftly glided from one tree to another. They had good reason to be nervous: I soon spotted the steely-grey back of a male Sparrowhawk slipping stealthily between the Hawthorn scrub.

Tall spikes of magenta Foxgloves filled the valley and Hairy Thyme furnished the tops of boulders and loose scree with pink.

Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)

Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) white mutation

Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) colour variations

Foxglove is deadly poisonous, even in small quantities. The entire plant contains cardiac glycosides (particularly digoxin) which cause dizziness/nausea, visual disturbances and potentially dangerous changes in heart rate and rhythm (digoxin is sometimes used medicinally to treat heart conditions).
Foxglove's scientific name means 'Of-the-fingers purple' in Latin (Digitalis = of the fingers & purpurea = purple) referring to the way in which the flowers can be fitted thimble-like onto the fingertips.

Amongst the foxgloves I found this toothless old fox skull:

Fox skull (Vulpes vulpes)

Flat or concave post-orbital processes (the projections at the upper rear of the eye socket) indicate that this is a fox's skull.
In dogs, the post-orbital processes are convex and elevated above the muzzle (forming a distinct stop between forehead and base of nose).

An excellent guide to skull identification can be found here: http://www.btinternet.com/~alison.gilsland/hedbone/lists.htm.

Hairy Thyme (Thymus praecox)

Hairy Thyme, one of several species of wild thyme, is strongly aromatic when crushed and is highly attractive to bees.
This species can be used in recipes in exactly the same way as cultivated varieties, though the flavour is weaker. Thyme also has medicinal properties: it contains thymol (aka 2-isopropyl-5-methylphenol) which is strongly antiseptic and antimicrobial.

Orchid Beetles (Dascillus cervinus) were present in large numbers on the patches of thyme.

Broom (Cytisus scoparius)

Broom (Cytisus scoparius) is a leguminous, nitrogen-fixing shrub belonging to the Faboideae subfamily (alongside Clovers and Gorses). As its common name suggests, the slender branches of this shrub were once used as brooms: the species name 'scoparius' is Latin for 'the sweeper'.

Wood Avens (Geum urbanum)

Wood Avens, also known as Herb Bennet, has edible leaves which can be cooked into soups & stews. The roots; which have an aromatic clove-like taste; can be boiled into a beverage or used to flavour soups.

Wood Avens Recipes:

Wood Avens & Dandelion Coffee (from www.bbc.co.uk)
Woodland Spiced Rosehip and Beetroot Soup (from www.bbc.co.uk)
Fried Wood Avens Leaves (from www.eatweeds.co.uk)

Common Blue Damselflies (Enallagma cyathigerum) are beginning to emerge where the river runs through Haw Craig.

The Triangle Reservoir was rather quiet: I saw only 1 Sand Martin.

On the stony banks of the reservoir I nearly managed to catch a vole. Then I somehow managed to fall INTO the Triangle Reservoir (oops!) whilst observing the thick black mass of tadpoles congregated at the bottom.

On my return home I found this guy:

Poplar Hawkmoth (Laothoe populi) male

Unusually, in this species the hindwings are held in front of the forewings.

Poplar Hawkmoth (Laothoe populi) male

Poplar Hawkmoth (Laothoe populi) male - wing detail

Poplar Hawkmoth (Laothoe populi) male

Common, but still an impressive moth: about 5cm in length from wing to wing!This species lacks a functional proboscis and therefore cannot feed during adulthood.

Poplar Hawkmoths can be sexed easily: males have narrow, blunt-tipped abdomens while females have pointed abdomens.

Kildonan, Isle of Arran

2011-06-06T17:00:00.000-07:00

Arran has a very varied geology, which has given rise to a rich diversity of shore types. The shores at Kildonan are a mixture of white sandy bays, shingle beaches and basalt dykes (with plenty of rockpools).

Raised Beach near Kildonan at Port a'Ghille Ghlais

The luxuriantly vegetated cliffs of the hinterland are a classic example of a post-glacial raised shore, formed when land rose after the melting of glacial ice sheets, whose weight previously kept this land depressed.

Tertiary basalt dykes at Kildonan

Basalt dykes and sills form tall, lichen-crusted rock-walls which chop the shore into segments and extend into the sea. These intrusions were formed in the Tertiary when molten magma intruded into pre-existing rock layers, in this case Triassic mudstone (sedimentary rock formed from clay or mud).

When many dykes arise from a single volcanic event they form what is known as a 'dyke swarm', of which Kildonan has one of the best examples in the world.

More in-depth info on Kildonan's geology can be found at these sites:

Coastal Zone Assessment Survey of Port a' Ghille Ghlais to Kildonan (Map 5) produced by SCAPE & Historic Scotland.

Site Report by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC)

Isle of Pladda (left) and the Ailsa Craig (right) from Kildonan

Isle of Pladda with Ailsa Craig behind

Lighthouse on Pladda

The Isle of Pladda is a flat-topped volcanic sill and was formed when magma flowed sideways between pre-existing rock layers. Once cooled, this magma was harder than surrounding rocks and resisted erosion, forming a cliff above softer rocks. It has had a lighthouse since 1790, though the current building dates from around 1830.

Ailsa Craig

The Ailsa Craig (also known as Paddy's Milestone) is a sharply conical volcanic plug composed mostly of microgranite (a very hard, fine-grained granite) which contains the minerals riebeckite and aenigmatite. It has the 3rd largest Gannet colony in the UK and many of these birds can be seen fishing around the coasts of Arran.

Kildonan is a great place to see Common Seals (Phoca vitulina): a large colony is present all year and the seals seem surprisingly tolerant of human presence. As we approached the seals we could hear their snorts, grunts and wails echoing off the green cliffs curving round the bay.

Dog-owners should keep their pets on a leash along this stretch of shore to avoid disturbing the seals, as they haul out very close to the coastal path.

Common Seal (Phoca vitulina)

Common Seals (Phoca vitulina) can be distinguished from Grey Seals (Halichoerus grypus) by the following features:

V-shaped nostrils (the Grey Seal has almost parallel nostrils).
Rounded head with short snub-nosed muzzle. Pronounced dip between forehead and muzzle (the Grey Seal has a long 'Roman nosed' muzzle and a flat forehead).
Eyes positioned on the front of the face, closer to the nose than the back of the head (Grey Seals have their eyes positioned slightly on the sides of the head, halfway between nose & back of head).
Fur is very finely and uniformly mottled with pale outlines/rings around darker grey spots (Grey Seals have more strikingly marked, blotchier coats often with sharply contrasting patterning).

Common Seals are the smaller of the two species, weighing 45-105 kg (males are only slightly bigger than females). Unlike Grey Seals, Common Seals are born without a woolly white fetal coat (called lanugo) as it is shed in the womb.

The Common Seal's scientific name means 'calf-like seal' (Phoca = seal: from Latin which is derived from the Greek phoke, vitulina = calf-like: Latin).

Common Seal (Phoca vitulina)

Seals have highly sensitive whiskers known as vibrissae (those on the muzzle are mystacial vibrissae) which are used in the tactile detection and identification of prey.

Common Seals (Phoca vitulina)

Seals may look sluggish and ungainly on land but in the water they're amazingly graceful and possess an amazing array of adaptations to their marine habitat including the ability to fully collapse their lungs when diving, the ability to drink seawater and the presence of myoglobin in their muscles (which has a 40% higher oxygen-carrying capacity than haemoglobin).

Common Seals (Phoca vitulina)

Some of these Common Seals will be heavily pregnant females and will give birth over the next few weeks (Grey Seals pup at a different time of year: from September til early December).

Common Gull (Larus canus) first-summer

We found an Oystercatcher's nest on the upper shore, it contained four cream eggs marked with blackish speckles and scribbles - the parent quickly and quietly returned to incubate once we were a few metres away.

A quick list of some of the birds seen today in Kildonan bay: a Curlew, 3+ pairs of Oystercatchers, a Hooded Crow, 2 Gannets, countless Rock Pipits, numerous Common and Herring Gulls, 5 Shelduck, 3 Merganser and a Buzzard.

Common Stork's-bill (Erodium cicutarium)

Common Stork's-bill is a delicate pink-petalled flower related to geraniums, so-named because its long seed pods supposedly resemble storks' bills.

The seeds of this plant each possess a long bristle (known as an awn) which gives them the unusual ability to bury themselves. These awns, although composed of dead cells, are hygroscopically-active: they straighten when wet and coil into corkscrew helices when dry.
Coiling of the awn causes the seed to be fired from the seedpod and the motor action which results from the coiling and uncoiling of the awn causes the seed to move across the ground surface - until it falls into a crevice - and then enables it to drill itself into the soil.

A detailed account of this unusual process can be found here.

Dove's-foot Crane's-bill (Geranium molle)

Hemlock Water Dropwort (Oenanthe crocata)

Hemlock Water Dropwort has leaves which smell appetisingly of Celery and bear a strong likeness to Lovage, however the whole plant (particularly the tuberous root) is deadly poisonous. It contains oenanthetoxin which affects the central nervous system, causing severe convulsions and in many cases, death.

How to Identify Hemlock Water Dropwort:

The whole plant is entirely hairless.
Leaves are 3-4 pinnate, toothed, slightly glossy and parsley-scented.
Stout stem is grooved.
Flowers are white and possess both upper and lower bracts.

3-4 pinnate = leaves are composed of leaflets arranged along an axis, each of which is further subdivided into leaflets which are themselves subdivided (and again for 4-pinnate leaves).

Western Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza purpurella)

Rock Arch

Sea Milkwort (Glaux maritima)

Smooth Hawksbeard (Crepis capillaris)

Rock Pipit (Anthus petrosus)

Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)

I followed this little Wren as it hopped over boulders and deftly snatched insects out of the air.

Male Wrens are polygamous: each male builds a series of nests on his territory and tries to entice females to visit them: female Wrens prefer males who have more nests.
A female who is impressed with his collection of 'cock's nests' will mate with him and line a nest with feathers before laying her eggs. The male will then set about attracting another female to another one of his nests (the females incubate the eggs & do most of the young-rearing).

Lichens - Lecanora rupicola?

As they compete for space, these lichens form a beautiful map-like pattern of crackled continents with boldly demarcated borders.

I found them growing on boulders in the supralittoral or 'splash zone' of the upper shore - I think they *might* be Lecanora rupicola.

Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines) female

We walked back along the bay, until we reached Kildonan Hotel: to the side of the carpark there is a huge, rusty propeller leaning against the wall of a white-washed boathouse. House Sparrows nest in gaps under the roof.

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) male

Brown-lipped Banded Snail (Cepaea nemoralis)

The Brown-lipped Banded Snail (Cepaea nemoralis) is one of two Cepaea species found in Britain (the other being Cepaea hortensis - the White-lipped Banded Snail). Due to the extreme polymorphism of shell patterning and colour found in both species, they can only be identified conclusively by dissection. However, most Brown-lipped Snails have a brown lip to their shells.

Studies on the genetics of shell colour and pattern in Cepaea nemoralis (here & here) have demonstrated that brown shell colour is dominant over both pink & yellow, that pink colouration is dominant over yellow, unbanded is dominant to banded patterns, and that darker banding is dominant over paler banding.

Evolutionmegalab.org has excellent photos of the various colour morphs.

My specimen is a yellow, hyalozonate (transparent banded) individual (very faint double banding is visible in the full-size photo). Some shell morphs provide better camouflage in certain habitats - yellow snails are more common in grassland and darker snails predominate in woodland. Shell colour also affects the thermal properties of a shell: lighter (yellow) shells reduce heat absorption.

I collected lots of holey stones from the shingle shore between Port a'Ghille Ghlais and Bennan Head:

Pebbles with bivalve (Hiatella arctica?) bore holes

These smoothly drilled holes, up to 1.5cm in diameter, are the work of bivalve molluscs: most likely the Wrinkled Rock Borer (Hiatella arctica), given the location and size of burrow.

Juveniles attach themselves to substrates using byssus threads and gradually carve burrows for themselves using the valves of their shells to mechanically abrade solid rock.

Mugdock Country Park, East Dunbartonshire

2011-05-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

I joined West Dunbartonshire's Over 50's Walking Group on a trip to Mugdock Country Park where there are ancient 'bluebell woods' and the opportunity to see a variety of warblers!

We walked northwest from Mugdock Country Park Visitor Centre through mixed woodland near the Craigallian & Carbeth Lochs and followed the path along the western edge of Craigallian Loch to the deciduous woodland to the south. Then we took the track leading eastwards to the grounds of Craigend Castle (and the ruins of Craigend Zoo) and returned to the visitor centre.

In the woods northwest of Mugdock Castle we passed an old, rotten tree in which there was a Great Spotted Woodpecker's nesthole - the young could be heard peeping. Soon after, one of the parents was sighted nearby.

Willow Warblers sang from every scrubby tree as we entered a marshy clearing to the east of the Carbeth & Craigallian Lochs. Here we saw a pair of Roe Deer run down the hillside and a Grey Heron which flew over and made an ungracious and unsuccessful attempt to land on top of a tall pine.

Suddenly, a large, long-winged bird of prey glided past us through the clearing in the direction of Carbeth Loch: an Osprey!

Definitely the highlight of the day for me, as I have never seen one of these birds so close to home.

On the path around Craigallian Loch we heard the singing of Sedge Warblers concealed amongst the vegetation: their song is a fast, frenetic (slightly crazy) warble full of harsh cackles and chattering.

Ancient woodland (south of the visitor centre)

In the woods surrounding Craigend Castle we could hear the songs of both Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers. We also saw a pair of Treecreepers.

Beech tree (Fagus sylvestris)

Distribution transformer on telegraph poles

Bistort (Persicaria bistorta)

Bistort leaves are the main ingredient of Dock pudding (also known as Easter Ledge Pudding), a fried dish traditionally eaten during Lent in Yorkshire (where the World Dock Pudding Competition is held each April in Calderdale), Cumberland and the Lake District.

Dock Pudding Recipes:

Dock Pudding Recipe from BBC Food

Assorted Dock Pudding Recipes from Historicalfoods.com

Vegetarian Dock Pudding Recipe from Voyageofthebattenberg.blogspot.com

Kilpatrick Hills, West/East Dunbartonshire

2011-05-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

Another search for the elusive Adders at Burncrooks Reservoir!

I walked with my parents from Duntocher to the Humphrey Reservoir, past Duncolm and the Lily Loch, to Burncrooks Reservoir and on the way home we crossed the Slacks and Little Round Top instead of following the Humphrey Road.

The Humphrey Road and the Slacks afford some brilliant aerial views of the River Clyde:

The River Clyde from the Slacks

We cut across the moorland (to the left of the Humphrey Road) where we found a Meadow Pipit's nest in the heather: a neat grass-lined cup holding a set of four tiny, chocolate-mottled eggs.

On the path around Duncolm I saw the first Green Hairstreak butterfly of the day: small, rapidly darting, with wings brown on top and irridescent green underneath.
The drystone wall near the Lily Loch was covered with basking Green Hairstreaks - they fluttered erratically in the sunshine and when they landed they orientated their wings sharply in the direction of the sun.

Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi)

Looking towards the Lily Loch from the base of Duncolm - the Green Hairstreak's habitat

Hundreds of huge Horse Leeches (Haemopis sanguisuga) could be seen in the Lily Loch's peaty waters (still bare of vegetation), fattening themselves on a glut of tadpoles.

These large leeches are safe to handle as they're unable to bite through human skin - in Britain, only the rare Medicinal Leech (Hirudo medicinalis) is capable of this (it doesn't stop them from sucking onto you though!).

This plump leech is (rather endearingly) still clutching the reed it grabbed onto as it tried to avoid capture:

Horse Leech (Haemopis sanguisuga)

The Lily Loch with Duncolm behind

The Lily Loch is part of the Dumbarton Muir SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) - it's the only oligotrophic (nutrient poor) loch in Dunbartonshire and is surrounded by an area of raised bog.

Burncrooks Reservoir

As we crossed the grassy hill where the river feeds into Burncrooks, a Sparrowhawk flew up from the ground.

We saw a pair of Greylag Geese (Anser anser) feeding at the edge of Burncrooks Reservoir - these are nervous wild birds and hard to get close to, quickly entering the water the minute they see you. I tried to creep closer through the rushes but the geese began to honk with alarm and were soon swimming out of sight.

Greylag Goose (Anser anser)

Greylag Geese (Anser anser)

We searched amongst the dried golden grasses, dark heather, scree and the russet, wiry tangle of old Bracken fronds...but didn't find any Adders.

On the grassy bank of the smallest Burncrooks Dam, we found a glittering Heath Goldsmith beetle (Carabus nitens).

The river which feeds into the Lily Loch, Duncolm behind

The Slacks

Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines) female on foodplant - Cuckoo Flower (Cardamine pratensis)

Wild Pansies (Viola tricolor)

Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum)

Little Round Top Wood

Kilpatrick Hills, West Dunbartonshire

2011-04-30T17:00:00.000-07:00

Little Round Top Wood (OS map grid reference - NS4773) is an excellent 'bluebell wood' rarely visited by walkers - I spent the day listening for the songs of arriving warblers and trying to immortalize with photos the ephemeral newly-minted-lushness of spring foliage.

Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta)

Crab Apple (Malus sylvestris)

Cultivated or Domestic Apples (Malus domestica) are mostly descended from the Central Asian Wild Apple (Malus sieversii) which was brought to Europe and later crossed with closely related 'Malus series' apples, including our native Crab Apple (Malus sylvestris).

Cuckoo Flower (Cardamine pratensis)

Blackthorn or Sloe (Prunus spinosus)

crab spider (Xysticus cristatus) female

Dog's Mercury (Mercurialis perennis) in Little Round Top Wood

At this time of year, Dog's Mercury (Mercurialis perennis) forms a thick carpet of fresh green leaves in Little Round Top Wood. Few creatures seem to nibble at this pristine foliage, possibly due to its poisonous nature.
Culpeper's Complete Herbal (published in 1653) warns 'there is not a more fatal plant, native of our country, than this'. Ingestion causes severe haemorrhagic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract and kidneys.

Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea)

Gorse (Ulex europaeus)

I had a look at the steepest part of Little Round Top Wood (above the marsh) which will be overgrown with nettles & bracken, and inaccessible within a month or two.

Hairy St. John's-wort (Hypericum hirsutum) grows on the scrubby slope and Square-stalked St. John's-wort (Hypericum tetrapterum) grows in the marsh below. St. John's-worts, of which there are many species, are better identified by their leaves and stalks than by their golden-yellow flowers (which appear in late June).

Hairy St. John's-wort (Hypericum hirsutum)

Hairy St. John's-wort has a rounded, hairy stem and the leaves are hairy, elliptical in shape and do not possess the black gland-dots which are found on many other Hypericum species.

Wild Pansies (Viola tricolor)

Mugdock Country Park & Kilpatrick Hills, East & West Dunbartonshire

2011-03-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not usually a twitcher, but repeated sightings of a Great Grey Shrike at Craigallian Loch over the last few weeks proved too much to resist!

My dad and I caught a train from Dalmuir to Milngavie, walked through Mugdock Country Park to Craigallian Loch and then walked back to Duntocher (via Burncrooks Reservoir, Duncolm and the Greenside).

We saw a pair of Treecreepers as we walked through the soaking wet woodland in Mugdock Country Park. Near Craigallian Loch we saw a male Kestrel hunting and heard a Tawny Owl hooting.

Clouds of mist and rain drifted through the trees and the valley echoed with the drumming of Great Spotted Woodpeckers. On the loch there were groups of Tufted Duck and Goosander.
We wandered along the path, fruitlessly scanning every fencepost and scrubby tree for the shrike. As we waited, a Green Woodpecker landed clumsily atop a nearby pine.

Disappointingly, the shrike never made an appearance.

On the way home, at Edenmill Farm, we saw a large flock of Goldfinches and a ploughed field full of Lapwings - their zipping calls are like radios tuning.

Greenside Reservoir

Above the Greenside looking towards Duncolm

By the side of the burn flowing into the Greenside, I found the inedible Twisted Deciever (Laccaria tortilis) growing on a mossy boulder.

Twisted Deciever (Laccaria tortilis)

Kilpatrick Hills, West Dunbartonshire

2011-03-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

Today I walked from Duntocher to the Mohican Woods, over the Slacks and to The Test marsh. It didn't rain but the sky was darkly overcast and snow survives in colder hollows on the hills.

Below the Mohican Woods I disturbed a group of Roe Deer (two hinds and a buck) which were grazing along the forest edge. The two hinds - with flared white rumps - disappeared deep into the undergrowth, but the buck only retreated a little way into the trees.
I lay down on the ground, making myself as unhuman-like as possible. A few seconds later, the buck re-emerged and high-stepped towards me cautiously, until the shutter of my camera startled him back into the forest.

Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus) male

Roe Deer are Britain's smallest native deer, weighing only 10-25kg, and are the only hooved mammals which exhibit delayed implantation: an egg fertilized during the summer doesn't begin development until January.

This male has 3-pronged antlers which means he's at least 3 years old. The furry 'velvet' covering his antlers supplies blood to the antlers as they grow and will be shed within a few weeks.

Mohican Woods

Scottish Blackface Sheep

Snow-melt puddles littered the moorland on the Slacks. The only signs of life were a pair of Red Grouse (Lagopus lagopus) which exploded loudly from the heather.

The Test marsh

In the rocky moorland to the north-east of the Test, a Brown Hare leapt up and sprang like a gazelle over the heather.

It left behind a pile of fresh droppings:

Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus) droppings

Bombhole near the Test (OS map ref. NS 476 741)

The Clydebank Blitz (13th & 14th March, 1941) left the Kilpatrick Hills pitted with bombholes and the odd piece of rusty bombshell can still be found lying on the moor.

Psathyrella sp. at Little Round Top Wood

Jackdaws (Corvus monedula)

Pairs of Jackdaws nest on every rooftop on my street, they walk the pavements and roads with a bobbing swagger and fill the air with their pleasant calls - an almost musical "chak!" - which gives them their onomatopoeic name.

Kilpatrick Hills, West Dunbartonshire

2011-02-19T13:27:00.000-08:00

I went to the disused curling pond below the Mohican Woods to look for mating Common Frogs (Rana temporaria) - I normally miss them due to the miserable February weather.

Mohican Woods

Ferns in the Mohican Woods

No frogs at the curling pond, but I did find a large clump of frogspawn.

Common Frog (Rana temporaria) eggs

Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum)

Red Elder (Sambucus racemosa) bud

Coral Spot (Nectria cinnabarina) - conidial state

Yellow Brain fungus (Tremella mesenterica)

Yellow Brain fungus (Tremella mesenterica) was growing profusely on bare Gorse branches near Little Round Top Wood. This fungus is an obligate parasite on other fungi (Periophora sp.).

Hazel (Corylus avellana) catkins (the male flowers)

Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus)

At Little Round Top Wood, on a massive toppled Ash tree, I found some Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus). These are the oyster mushrooms encountered in supermarkets and are amongst the best edible wild mushrooms (in my opinion, better-tasting than the bland 'table mushrooms').

Oyster Mushrooms contain lovastatin, a HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor which lowers cholesterol levels (high cholesterol is a major cause of cardiovascular disease).

Pleurotus species are both saprotrophic and carnivorous - they feed by secreting digestive enzymes from a microscopic network of 'roots' known as hyphae which digest rotting wood and nematode worms (which are first paralysed by a secreted toxin and then digested alive from the inside by hyphae which enter orifices).

Dalmuir Golf Course, West Dunbartonshire

2011-01-22T17:00:00.000-08:00

Dalmuir Golf Course is actually a great place to see wildlife, including Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Roe Deer, Dippers, Kingfishers and Barn Owls (the latter two species are scarce in this county).

Mixed planted woodland and remnants of native, broad-leaved 'bluebell woodland' surround the golf course which is crossed by the Duntocher Burn.

Beech (Fagus sylvatica)

Crisp Beech leaves the colour of fox fur clung to nearly-bare branches and the forest floor was carpeted with glossy-leaved Ivy which creeped up trees and formed a viney lattice around their trunks.

Flocks of Redwing and Fieldfare shifted secretively between the trees and we saw mixed groups of Blue Tits, Great Tits, Long-tailed Tits and Goldcrests in the tree-tops.

Fox (Vulpes vulpes) - dead

The dead Fox we found in the leaf litter, its body frozen stiff, seemed in otherwise healthy condition - no visible disease, injuries or bullet wounds. However, I couldn't shake the feeling that it had been killed by human hands...

Orange Ladybird (Halyzia 16-guttata)

Orange Ladybirds (Halyzia 16-guttata) are herbivores (unlike most ladybirds), feeding on mildews (fungi of the order Erysiphales, which grow on leaves). They are found in deciduous woodland and are often active at night, when they are frequent visitors to lighted windows.

This species can be distinguished from other white-spotted ladybirds by its very bright orange colouration, 12-16 white spots on the elytra and by its unspotted, semi-translucent pronotum.

Ivy (Hedera helix) on Lime tree (Tilia sp.)

Kilpatrick Hills, West Dunbartonshire

2010-12-25T17:00:00.000-08:00

It snowed heavily from the end of November to mid December, when I was still in Dundee.
Snow ploughs heaped the deep snow from the roads onto the narrow pavements where it froze into impassable mountains of ice. Icicles half a metre long, like glass swords, hung from rooftops and windows (the government even issued warnings, in case anyone should be impaled by falling icicles). Temperatures dropped to -16 degrees centigrade and record numbers of Waxwings surged to our country, driven by the harsh weather conditions.

By the time I returned to Duntocher for Christmas, the weather had mildened and the snow mostly melted. I went for a short walk up to the Test with my parents in the afternoon.

Fields near Duntocher

Erskine Bridge

Above Little Round Top wood we put up a Woodcock which had been resting in the rushes.

Fieldfares congregated with Wood Pigeons on the fields around Little Round Top and flitted in vast numbers through the dark tangle of Blackthorn bushes. We caught a glimpse of a Sparrowhawk gliding between the trees, sending the panicked Fieldfares scattering.

I found a dead Common Shrew which had evidently been caught by a predator and then discarded as distasteful.

Common Shrew (Sorex araneus) - dead

Tobermory to Ardmore Bay, Isle of Mull

2010-08-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

To complete our wildlife-watching trip, my dad and I walked Mull's northern coast looking for the UK's largest bird of prey: the White-tailed Eagle.

In 1975, White-tailed Eagles were successfully reintroduced to the Isle of Rum after being persecuted to extinction in the UK by 1916. Now there are 52 pairs breeding on the West Coast of Scotland, with around 15 of those nesting on the Isle of Mull.

We followed the main road that leads from Tobermory to Sorne, until we reached the turn-off for the Ardmore forest track, which took us straight to Ardmore.

To the left of the track there are forestry commission pines and to the left, remnants of the original boggy moorland. Amongst the bog myrtle, bog asphodel and heather, I found some peaty pools swarming with Black Darters.

Black Darter (Sympetrum danae) immature male

Black Darter (Sympetrum danae) mature male

Black Darters (Sympetrum danae) are amongst the last dragonflies to emerge (mostly in August). Females and immature males are tawny yellow with eyes that are rusty-orange and green bicoloured. Like a banana skin, the male's integument darkens gradually, the black markings grow until his whole body (and eyes) are jet black.

In Scotland there are 3 species of heather: Bell Heather (Erica cinerea), Ling (Calluna vulgaris) and Cross-leaved Heather (Erica tetralix). Here's how to tell them apart:

Bell Heather (Erica cinerea)

Bell Heather (Erica cinerea) old flowers

Bell Heather (Erica cinerea) has the darkest, most purple flowers which are distinctly bell-shaped. The pine-needle-like leaves are a dark glossy green.

Ling (Calluna vulgaris)

Ling (Calluna vulgaris) has tiny pink flowers which are NOT bell-shaped. The leaves are dark glossy green, very short and closely-packed.

Cross-leaved Heather (Erica tetralix)

Cross-leaved Heather (Erica tetralix) has large, pink, bell-shaped flowers which are clustered at the top of each stem. The leaves are a similar to those of Bell Heather but are covered with tiny hairs - giving them a greyish appearance.

Wild Angelica (Angelica sylvestris)

Knapweed (Centaurea nigra)

Bramble (Rubus fruticosus)

Bog Myrtle (Myrica gale)

Bog Myrtle (Myrica gale) is an unusual plant: a sweetly aromatic, waxy-leafed, dwarfed tree (of the Order Fagales which includes Birches and Beeches) with symbiotic Frankia bacteria in its root nodules which fix nitrogen into the soil, enabling it to grow in nutrient-poor bogs.
These peculiar mini-trees are dioecious, which means that each individual is either male or female and that both sexes are required for reproduction.

The richly resinously perfumed leaves were once used to flavour beer and soups (Bog Myrtle is abortifacient and should NOT be consumed by pregnant women!).

Candles can be made from the fragrant wax obtained by boiling the leaves/fruit and skimming off the floating waxy layer.

Bog Myrtle leaves contain insect-repellent compounds and have been used for centuries to ward off the formidable Scottish midge (which, from my own experience, is completely undeterred by DEET strong enough to melt plastic in seconds!).

Rosebay Willowherb (Epilobium angustifolium)

Sneezewort (Achillea ptarmica)

Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia)

Along the forest track to Ardmore Bay, we saw numerous butterflies: Common Blues, Speckled Woods, Dark Green Fritillaries, Scotch Argus and Graylings.

Dark Green Fritillary (Argynnis aglaja)

Named after the Latin word for 'dice-box' (fritillus), the fritillary 'group' of butterflies have bright orange uppersides with delicate black chequering. The undersides of the Dark Green Fritillary's wings are mossy green with silver spots.

Grayling (Hipparchia semele)

The Grayling is a coastal butterfly with stony-grey undersides to its wings. This species always rests with wings closed and the rich brown uppersides of its wings are rarely seen.

Scotch Argus (Erebia aethiops)

In Britain & Ireland, the Scotch Argus' distribution is restricted to Scotland and 2 locations in Northern England.
Its scientific name describes its dark chocolate colouration: Erebia = from Erebus, the Greek god of darkness, and aethiops = Ethiopian.

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)

Curiously absent from most of central Scotland, the Speckled Wood is a butterfly of woodland habitats and is the only British butterfly known to overwinter in both larval and pupal stages.

At Ardmore we found a group of abandoned cottages, their derelict gardens overgrown with raspberry and fuschia.

We followed a track down to Ardmore Bay; a sheltered, rocky shore preceded by rough grassland and heather; where we had lunch at a picnic table.

Creeping Willow (Salix repens)

Devil's-bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis)

Grass of Parnassus (Parnassia palustris)

Heath Pea (Lathyrus linifolius)

As we were sitting at the Ardmore Bay picnic table, we watched the skies: a Buzzard soared over, mobbed by a pair of Ravens. A shortwhile later, another (more distant) bird of prey appeared, soaring with broad, fingered wings and a wedge-shaped tail...our first White-tailed Eagle!

These 'flying barn doors' weigh up to 5.5kg with a wingspan of 2.2 metres.

White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla)

On the coastal path at Ardmore Bay we found a dead Slow-worm (Anguis fragilis), fragile indeed, it appeared to have been pecked to death whilst basking on the path and heavily pregnant (these leg-less lizards give birth to gold-striped live young).

Slow-worm (Anguis fragilis)

Slow-worm (Anguis fragilis) dorsal surface

Slow-worm (Anguis fragilis) ventral surface

Larch Ladybird (Aphidecta obliterata)

I searched along crumbling walls and bracken for further Slow-Worms and emerged unsuccessful, my clothes covered in hundreds of tiny ticks. Turning my attention to the shore, I hunted the rock pools and caught some interesting creatures.

Goose Barnacle (Lepas pectinata) spinose form

The strange lifeform above is the 'spinose variety' of the Goose Barnacle Lepas pectinata. Astonishinly, it may have floated all the way from the Americas in a margarine tub (via the Gulf Stream). It is a tropical species, unsuited to our winters and destined to perish - I pushed its plastic vessel back out to sea, though I doubt it will be making a return journey.

Sea Gooseberry (Pleurobrachia pileus)

Sea Gooseberries or Comb Jellies are not jellyfish (phylum Cnidaria), belonging instead to the phylum Ctenophora. They are pelagic hunters of zooplankton and move using 8 rows of beating cilia (combs of tiny hairs) which give these otherwise translucent animals a shimmering, rainbow-sheen.

This species has a long pair of tentacles covered with colloblasts (sticky cells) which it uses to trap prey and can be retracted into the body cavity (which my specimen seems to have done).

Pleurobrachia pileus, like most ctenophores, is a hermaphrodite and normally reaches peak numbers from October to November.

Strigose Squat Lobster (Galathea strigosa)

I managed to find a white plastic tub amongst the flotsam which provided an excellent clean background for photography and enabled me to use flash to bring up the detail & colours.

Squat Lobsters are actually more closely related to Porcelain Crabs and Hermit Crabs than true Lobsters.
The Strigose Squat Lobster's genus name Galathea, refers to the sea-nymph Galatea from Ovid's Metamorphoses and strigosa means 'a row of grain' (Latin), describing the animal's bristle-covered carapace.

Goldenrod (Solidago virgaurea)

Goldenrod has been used for centuries to treat a range of ailments including urinary tract infections, skin wounds/bleeding, skin infections, whooping cough and influenza. Its leaves contain antifungal saponins and anti-inflammatory phenolic glycosides, and are mildly diuretic.

The flowers also yield a rich, golden-yellow dye.

Dyeing with Goldenrod:

Sheepy Hollow Farm Life - how to make Goldenrod dye & the effects of adding alum, iron etc on the colour.

Our Little Nature Nest - how to make Goldenrod dye.

Wild Colours - useful tips for dyeing with Goldenrod.

Hi There Hammy - photos of Goldenrod-dyed yarns with and without mordants.

Ardmore Lighthouse solar panels

We followed a path from Ardmore Lighthouse back into the forest. On the brackened hill above the sea I found a furry, orange-striped Fox Moth caterpillar.

Palmate Newt (Lissotriton helveticus)

Raven (Corvus corax)

Large Black Slug (Arion ater) brown form

Flocks of Swallows attended the open water tanks at a waste processing plant outside Tobermory - fattening themselves up and moulting into fresh new plumage in preparation for their journey back to Africa.

Swallows (Hirundo rustica)

Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)

Another wildplant with medicinal properties, Purple Loosestrife contains antimicrobial compounds (such as vescalagin), is styptic (stops bleeding) and strongly astringent (>10% tannin content).

Being non-toxic, it was traditionally used internally to treat diarrhoea, dysentery, enteritis and excessive menstruation. Externally, it can be used to treat wounds and impetigo.

Isle of Mull to the Isle of Muck

2010-08-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

A leaden, rain-saturated sky dulled the ocean surface as we boarded the Sula Beag: perfect weather for picking out the dark silhouettes of fins amid the confusion of shapes cast by everchanging waves...

I was going on a whale-watching trip with my dad!

We booked our trip with http://www.sealifesurveys.co.uk/ which charges £80 per person for a 7 hour trip.

We left harbour at 9:30am and sailed around Mull's northern shores. Passing the steep cliffs near Rubha Nan Gall, we saw the steel-grey back of a Peregrine Falcon.

Our vessel was followed for several minutes by a hungry Great Skua (Stercorarius skua) which soared directly overhead.

Great Skua (Stercorarius skua)

Great Skuas are ferocious scavengers and predators, capable of robbing seabirds (up to the size of Gannets and Herring Gulls) of their catch and able to kill Puffins and Rabbits with ease.

60% of the world's Great Skuas nest in Scotland during the Summer (mainly concentrated on Shetland and Orkney) and then migrate southwards to spend their winters on the coasts of Spain and Africa.

Our first fins of the day - a pair moving in lazy tandem, the first larger than the second - belonged to a Basking Shark (Cetorhinus maximus).

We came remarkably close to the sinuously synchronous fins, their owner's vast bulk concealed beneath the dark waters. Great Black-backed Gulls (Larus marinus) floated above the shark, unperturbed by the benign leviathan's fins cutting amongst their company.

Basking Shark (Cetorhinus maximus)

Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)

Basking sharks move at a leisurely pace with a distinctive snake-like, side-winding movement: very different from the fast, fluke-thrusting motion of cetaceans.

The Basking Shark is one of only 3 shark species which feed on plankton. It swims with its cavernous mouth agape and plankton are trapped on its gill rakers with the aid of mucus.
These Sharks are highly migratory, travelling thousands of kilometres in search of zooplankton blooms (in Spain they are known as peregrino, meaning 'a pilgrim or wanderer'. In winter they feed in deeper waters and only 'bask' in surface waters during the summer months.

The second largest fish in the world, Basking Sharks can measure up to 11 metres from nose to tail and weigh as much as 7 tonnes (roughly equivalent to a male African Elephant).

Overfishing for fins (shark fin soup), meat and shark liver oil, has led to a drastic decline in numbers and the Basking Shark is now listed on the ICUN redlist as 'Vulnerable' and is protected from capture or disturbance in British waters. The main threats to Basking Sharks are illegal fishing, accidental entanglement in fishing gear and collisions with boats.

Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus)

Birdlife included distant Manx Shearwaters, Kittiwakes which bobbed in the boat's wake with their black-collared young, Puffins (already in their dull, sooty-faced winter plumage) and several Guillemot dads supervising a single youngster each.

Further out to sea, North of the Ardnamurchan penninsula, the Isle of Eigg came into view: a towering plateau over which gloomy masses of rain cloud cascaded. Ahead, to the left, lay the smaller, flatter Isle of Muck.

Isle of Eigg

The ship's resident salty sea-dog, a good-natured Border Terrier, began to whine - said by the crew to indicate the presence of whales...Seconds later, a pod of Minke Whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)appeared to our right: small grey fins atop gracefully sloping humps.

Not long after, we encountered a small pod of Harbour Porpoises (Phocoena phocoena): grey-black, falcate fins moving with great haste, slicing the water as if attached to rotating wheels.

The Isle of Muck is a mostly tree-less isle covered in reedy marshes and turfy fields of multicoloured sheep. We disembarked and spent a short hour exploring the isle.

Floral diversity was limited to thistles, various shades of Eyebright and ruddy Sorrels.

Isle of Muck

Musical twittering drew our attention to a large flock (+25) of Redpolls (probably Lesser Redpolls, but too far away to be certain) which flitted about the island and eventually alighted on a large tree.

Isle of Muck

On our return to Mull, through a torrent of rain, we again sighted the pod of Harbour Porpoise, more Basking Sharks and a Sunfish was spotted by some people on the upper deck.

Tobermory

Stained glass window of Tobermory Free Church

Tobermory to Rubha nan Gall, Isle of Mull

2010-08-15T17:00:00.001-07:00

Today I set off on a trip to the Isle of Mull with my dad, having booked a whale-watching trip and planning also, to look for the UK's largest bird of prey: the White-tailed Eagle.

Mull is a large island (over 300 square miles), notable for its extensive oak woods and its offshore reefs which support a rich diversity of marine species. It's a hotspot for cetaceans (particularly Minke Whales) and is the best place in the UK to see White-tailed Eagles.

Transport involved a train from Glasgow to Oban, a ferry from Oban to Mull (Craignure) and a bus from the ferry terminal to Tobermory - where we stayed at the Tobermory Youth Hostel (SYHA).

Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)

As we boarded the ferry at Oban, we saw a sharp-winged flock of Common Terns (Sterna hirundo).

In the dazzling sunshine, the ocean seemed an intense tropical blue, Oban's forested shores were emerald-green and the surrounding islets exotic archipeligos in shades of aquamarine.

Oban

Isle of Kerrera to left

Isle of Lismore lighthouse (built in 1833)

We dropped off our rucksacks at the youth hostel and took an evening stroll along the coastal path from the northern end of Tobermory to the lighthouse at Rubha nan Gall.

This steep and winding track passes through cliffside deciduous woodland, where Hazel, Tutsan and Burnet Roses grow by the side of the path and eventually opens out onto rocky shore and rough grassland with swathes of striking Ox-eye Daisies, Knapweed and Hemp Agrimony.

Hemp Agrimony (Eupatoria cannabinum)

Ox-eye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare)

The Ox-eye daisy has pungent, edible leaves which can be eaten raw or cooked (the unopened flower buds are good candidates for pickling).

Ox-eye Daisy Raita Recipe - Eatweeds.co.uk

Scotch Argus butterflies (Erebia aethiops) fluttered through the grasses around Rubha nan Gall lighthouse - a brilliant white-washed, blue solar panelled pillar against the blue skies.

Gannets crash-dived the seas and Rock Pipits flitted about the shore, peering at us from yellow lichen encrusted rocks.

Rubha nan Gall lighthouse (built in 1857)

Gannet (Morus bassanus)

The Gannet (Morus bassanus) is the only member of the Sulidae family (Gannets & Boobies) to be found in Europe and the UK holds more than 50% of the world breeding population, with all birds spread amongst only 21 colonies in Britain & Ireland.

When hunting for fish, these huge birds dive from heights of up to 30 metres to depths of up to 34 metres (mean diving depth is thought to be around 20 metres). Morphological adaptations to this lifestyle include a lack of external nostrils (Gannets breathe through their mouths), the presence of 'cushioning' subcutaneous air sacs and the forward positioning of the eyes to enable sharp binocular vision.

The lighthouse fence - a row of delapidated shamrocks

Rock Pipit (Anthus petrosus)

Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides)

On our walk back to the hostel, an adorably fat vole ran along the path ahead of us, stopping frequently to look behind and check if we were gaining on it!

Nightwalk:

We set out from Tobermory in the late evening and walked to the nearby Aros Park (South of Tobermory) - an area of mostly non-native woodland, tutsan and large Rhododendron bushes.

I released a Rosy Rustic which I had found earlier on a windowsill in Tobermory and the moth began feeding on the aromatic, sticky leaves of Rhododendron.

Rosy Rustic (Hydraecia micacea)

One of the woodland tracks led us to a rocky pier with stacked lobster pots and a nearby house/barn from which emanated the ultrasonic click-twittering of many bats.

We waited, in the fading light, for the bats to emerge (accumulating vast clouds of midges in the process) and within a few minutes they did - individuals shooting out of a miniscule hole between the rafters every few seconds, while the bats inside chirped ever louder. The crescendo died down as the remaining bats (probably pipistrelles) exited the roost and vanished into the dark woods.

Distant flocks of Redpolls could be heard but not seen, in the encroaching dusk.

On our return to the hostel in pitch blackness, we were stopped in our tracks by a strange noise - a loud, fierce, cat-like hissing - coming from the branches of an oak tree just off the path. As we stood listening, we could determine that the sound came from 2 sources...but were they birds or mammals?

Shining an LED headlight in their direction did not reveal reflected eyeshine. Although initially mystified as to the identity of the furious hissers, we soon realized that it was a pair of juvenile Barn Owls!

Leaving the noisy owlets behind, we continued our nocturnal journey. Rustling creatures in the undergrowth were revealed, by torchlight, to be enormous orange-eyed Common Toads lumbering about.

Kilpatrick Hills, West Dunbartonshire

2010-08-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

On today's walk, my dad and I followed a route from Duntocher to the Greenside Reservoir (via the Test marsh), eastwards through the planted woodland to the Cochno Loch & Jaw Reservoir, we took the track which runs alongside the Jaw Burn, crossed the fields near Cochno farm and then followed the Cochno Road back into Duntocher.

Many bumblebees and butterflies (including Small Coppers) in the meadows & marshes below the Test. Here I photographed a white-flowered variant of Harebell:

Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia) white-flowered mutation

The Blackface lambs are almost past the 'cute' stage...how quickly the months fly!

Sneezewort (Achillea ptarmica)

Bog Asphodel (Narthecium ossifragum)

Bog Asphodel yields a yellow dye which in the past was used to dye both hair and clothes.
The whole plant is dangerous to consume - it is known to cause kidney & liver damage in a range of grazing mammals, and is thought to be responsible for alveld, a disease in sheep which causes liver damage and photosensitivity.

On the north-western bank of the Test marsh basin I found some yellow-toffee coloured waxcaps - possibly Hygrocybe persistens.

Around the Greenside Reservoir, Angelica and Creeping Thistles attracted swarms of hungry insects.

Tree Wasp (Dolichovespula sylvestris) male

This Tree Wasp is male and therefore, stingless. Note the 7 abdominal segments (females have 6) and 13-segmented antennae (females have 12-segmented antennae).
Looking at the patterning of the clypeus (yellow front plate) on the face is the easiest way to identify wasps. Dolichovespula wasps can be distinguished from Vespa species by their much larger malar space (between bottom of eye and base of mandibles). Dolichovespula sylvestris has a faint black dot on the clypeus and yellow 'eyebrows'.

A superb identification key to British social wasps can be found here.

Ichneumon sp. wasp, male

Ichneumon wasps are colourful endoparasitoids of Lepidoptera and the insiration for the Alien films: they lay their eggs inside living caterpillars which are eaten slowly from within and are (eventually) fatally ruptured by the emerging wasp larvae, which pupate on their host's corpse.

Charles Darwin found this gruesome lifecycle to be a serious challenge to his belief in a benevolent God, writing to Asa Gray in 1860:

"I own that I cannot see as plainly as others do, and as I should wish to do, evidence of design and beneficence on all sides of us. There seems to me too much misery in the world. I cannot persuade myself that a beneficent and omnipotent God would have designedly created the Ichneumonidae with the express intention of their feeding within the living bodies of Caterpillars, or that a cat should play with mice."

Dark Green Fritillaries (Argynnis aglaja) flew swiftly past as we tripped our way through the hummocky heather, bilberries and planted trees between the Greenside and Cochno/Jaw.

Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus)

Bilberries (or blaeberries as they are locally known) are my favourite wild berries: just the right combination of sweet & tart and the lack of prickles makes gathering them easy.

Bilberries as a Natural Dye:

These berries yield red & blue-purple dyes (depending on the pH of the fruit picked).
Absolutely beautiful examples of bilberry-dyed fabrics can be found at naturallydyeing.blogspot.com and experiments with bilberry ink at yehar.com/blog.

Bilberry Recipes:

* Bilberry Sorbet

* Bilberry Syrup

* Bilberry Custard Tart

Tea made from dried Bilberry leaves was traditionally used to treat diabetes: glucoquinones in the leaves have been shown to reduce blood sugar levels.

Ling (Calluna vulgaris)

We found this weed growing amongst the trees...

Interestingly, the plant was covered with dead froghoppers (Cicadella viridis), many seemingly frozen in the act of sucking the sap - proof, if any were needed, of the potency of this plant's chemical defences.

Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia)

Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) unripe berries

Rowan berries can be used to make a jam/jelly (my mum sometimes makes it) which is tasty but VERY tart and best eaten as a complement to red meats (rather than in sandwiches). These berries cause sickness if eaten raw but are safe once cooked.

Rowan Jelly Recipes:

* northumberlandnaturalist.blogspot.com

* dreamacresdiary.typepad.com

NOTE: Rowan berries don't contain enough pectin for the jelly to set, so apples (cooking or crab) are an essential addition.

sawfly larva (Monsoma pulveratum?)

Grass of Parnassus (Parnassia palustris)

Dozens of little silvery Beautiful China Mark moths fluttered about the reeds on the banks of the Cochno Reservoir:

Beautiful China Mark (Nymphula stagnata)

Beautiful China mark (Nymphula stagnata)

The Beautiful China Mark (Nymphula stagnata) is one of 4 'aquatic' moths found in the UK. Its larvae feed underwater, initially inside the stems of Bur-reed and Yellow Water Lily. As they mature, the larvae construct a case from silk & pieces of foodplant which traps a bubble of air and allows the larva to feed on external plant surfaces. The adults are not aquatic and eggs are laid on plants at the water surface.

Emperor Moth (Saturnia pavonia) larva

Haworth's Minor (Celaena haworthii) male

Common Cottongrass is the main foodplant of Haworth's Minor, which restricts it to boggy moorland habitats. Males are active both at night and in the evening.

We watched Swallows enter the disused fisherman's hut between the Cochno and Jaw Reservoirs.

Harebells (Campanula rotundifolia)

We walked past fields containing frisky bullocks near Cochno farm and briefly heard a kickering call from some trees...Sparrowhawk nest?

Tortoiseshell Butterfly (Aglais urticae)

Summer Fungi:

*Collected during todays walk*

Grayling (Cantharellula umbonata)

I *think* this is the Grayling (Cantharellula umbonata), an inedible relative of the chanterelle mushrooms - it was found growing amongst mosses.

The vibrant lemon-yellow waxcaps below (collected in rough grassland near the Greenside) are likely to be Hygrocybe chlorophana. Identification was achieved using an online key to waxcaps and with the help of the friendly fungi experts at Wildaboutbritain.

waxcap (Hygrocybe chlorophana)

Sadly inedible, despite looking as though it should taste like lemon sorbet :(

When we got back home, I found this fly trapped in the kitchen:

Muscina prolapsa female

After a VERY long time poring through checklists of species & websites, I managed to identify this fly from about a hundred similar species - wing venation being the crucial factor.

As with all flies (Diptera), gender can be determined by the space between the eyes: no space between the eyes = male, noticeable gap between the eyes = female (as this individual is).

Muscina flies lay their eggs in manure/faeces and carrion - which makes them unsanitory houseguests but very useful as forensic indicators. They also have an important role in the breakdown of undesirable materials and the recycling of nutrients back into the soil...and someone has to do it!
Think of that next time you reach for the rolled up newspaper ;)

Pappert Hill, West Dunbartonshire

2010-07-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

I was invited to join West Dunbartonshire's Over 50s Walking Group on a walk over Pappert Hill to Pappert Well - the site of a natural freshwater spring.

Although the morning had been rainy, by the time we picked everyone up and assembled at the back of Bonhill, it had fairly brightened up.

On our ascent of Pappert Hill we crossed an area of mixed meadow and boggy marsh (flanked by the Pappert Well Community Woodlands) in which flourished wildflowers of every colour: golden patches of Bog Asphodel, lemony-yellow Tormentil, white Grass of Parnassus and Corn Spurrey mingled with magenta Redshanks and pale pink Common Spotted Orchids.

Grass of Parnassus (Parnassia palustris)

The Anatomy of a Grass of Parnassus:

Delicate transparent veins (nectar guides) groove the white petals surrounding a set of 5 cream-coloured fertile stamens (whose anthers produce pollen) and a set of 5 green infertile stamens (known as staminodes) which bear yellow spherical glands.

These yellow glands are fake nectaries, making the flower more visually appealing to pollinating insects, but don't actually produce any nectar. Although they are somewhat misled, the insects don't lose out entirely: nectar is instead produced from two inconspicuous glands at the base of the staminodes.

Print from Flora von Deutschland Österreich und der Schweiz (1885), courtesy of Biolib.de

The phylogeny of Parnassia is still disputed, as they display several morphological 'oddities'. Recent genetic evidence has placed them within the family Celastraceae alongside the disimilar, moss-like Lepuropetalon (amongst the smallest flowering plants on earth) and Ruptiliocarpon (large South American trees).

Redshank (Persicaria maculosa)

The leaves and shoots of Redshank can be eaten cooked but are said to taste rather bland, for those interested:
Redshank & Aubergine Spring Rolls Recipe - from www.eatweeds.co.uk

Red Bartsia (Odontites verna)

Corn Spurrey (Spergula arvensis)

We saw a number of butterflies including Small Coppers, Ringlets and Meadow Browns. Pappert Well is surrounded by the dark coniferous Nobleston Wood - we followed the track to the clearing where we observed the clear water bubble through the sand at the underground spring.

Underneath shadowy pines I found a Cortinarius species mushroom: the cap was sticky brown and resembled a toffee-apple.

Cortinarius sp. mushroom

Near a crumbling dry-stone wall, we found a pile of scats (containing fragments of lizard skin) and some small burrows. We came to the conclusion that they probably belonged to either a Stoat or a Weasel.

Leaving the woods behind, we climbed over a barbed wire fence, and came upon a cairn and the Hill of Standing Stones, where we heard the distant cronking of Ravens over Knockshannoch moor.

Barred Straw (Eulithis pyraliata)

The Barred Straw (Eulithis pyraliata) is a common species whose larvae feed on Cleavers & Bedstraws - its scientific name is Latin for 'Good-stone of-fire' (Eu = good + lithis = stone, pyraliata from pyralis = of fire/also a mythological winged insect which was supposed to live in fire).

Taking the gritty road which cuts between forestry plantation and the steep Murroch burn (on the return to Bonhill), we encountered a mating pair of gleeming Green Tiger Beetles (Cicindela campestris) scuttling along the path! This is the first time I have seen them in West Dunbartonshire.

Further along, we disturbed a female Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) which had been perched in a pine to the right of the track. She flew up as we passed, weaving agilely through the pines and disappeared from view.

Brucehill Cliffs - proposed LNR, West Dunbartonshire

2010-07-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

Brucehill Cliffs is a site on the banks of the River Clyde which includes inland cliffs (sandstone), regenerating forest and wild grassland - it is a proposed Local Nature Reserve (SNH).

I visited the site for the first time today as part of a group making a 'bioblitz' style survey of the invertebrates & flora (though to be honest, I spent most of my time gabbing away to folk!).

The weather conditions were not ideal for capturing insects - a haze of drizzle hung over the Clyde and the vegetation was saturated. House Martins (Delichon urbica) swirled above our heads, filling the air with their musical chirping.

A multitude of little crambid micro-moths fluttered weakly through the wet grasses: we attempted to catch some but the moths stuck to the sides of our catching jars :(
Based on later identification of photos, I think most of these were the very common Agriphila tristella.

The froghoppers Cicadella viridis and Neophilaenus lineatus were both very abundant.

Wild Angelica (Angelica sylvestris)

Wild Angelica is a very attractive umbellifer with pinkish umbels, stout purple-blushed stems and toothed leaflets.

The aromatic leaves, shoots and stems can be cooked into stews & soups, though they are said to be rather bitter-tasting. The seeds can be used (fresh or dried) to add flavour to pastries and the stems are traditionally eaten in candied form.

How to make candied Angelica stems:
candied angelica - pathtoselfsufficiency.blogspot.com.

Common Green Grasshopper (Omocestus viridulus) female

Common Green Grasshoppers are extremely variable in their colouration: usually they are pea-green and varying degrees of brown, but magenta-pink variants are sometimes found.

This species can be identified by the gently incurved side-keels on the pronotum (the paired lines on the grasshopper's thorax, when viewed from above).

Shaded Broad-bar (Scotopteryx chenopodiata)

The Shaded Broad-bar is a moth of open grassy habitats (the larvae feed on clovers and vetches) and is easily disturbed from vegetation during the day. Its scientific name means 'Dark-winged Goose-footed', the latter part may refer to the moth's wing shape (Scoto, from skotos = dark + pteryx = wings: Greek, cheno = goose + podiata = footed: Greek).

Marsh Woundwort (Stachys palustris)

Marsh Woundwort is a member of the Labiatae family (mints & dead-nettles) and, as its common name would suggest, was highly valued in the past for its wound-healing properties (it is both antiseptic and staunches bleeding). The edible roots are said to have a mild, nutty flavour.

glass snail, possibly Arianta arbustorum ?

Common Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii)

Duntocher, West Dunbartonshire

2010-07-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

Kilpatrick Hills at dusk

Darkness falls on the nearby Kilpatrick hills, and though the sky burns vivid orange-red, the air is humid and the vegetation still moist from recent heavy rainfall. Humid, windless nights like this are best for trapping nocturnal insects.

A Gallery of July Beetles:

Beetles are amongst the most frequent non-moth visitors to fluorescent lighting (which attracts far more insects than incandescent light bulbs due to the higher ultraviolet ouput). Other common nocturnal visitors are midges, crane flies and caddis flies.

Beetles tend to be very restless, rarely staying still for even a second, which makes them difficult to photograph: my solution is to place them inside a white plastic bowl which is too smooth for them to easily climb up and stalls them long enough to take photos.

The first of our usual suspects is a beetle whose varied talents include using its head as a spade, eating poo and singing!

Aphodius rufipes (Dung Beetle - family Scarabaeidae)

Aphodius rufipes - showing the (normally hidden) membraneous hindwings

Aphodius rufipes

A wide shovel-shaped head, cylindrical body, small antennnae, and claw-like extensions on the tibia of the front legs, are all adaptations to a burrowing lifestyle.Both adults and larvae spend most of their lives feeding and burrowing in the dung of herbivores.

The club-shaped antennae are composed of lamellae which can be compressed into a ball or fanned out (in order to detect odours).

When the adult dung beetles arrive at a fresh cow pat, the males quickly set about courting the females - producing complex songs using their abdomino-alary stridulatory organs (which means they produce sounds by rubbing their wings against their abdomens).
Only the males sing, although the females possess identical stridulatory organs and have the ability to produce disturbance sounds when threatened.

Each song lasts from 10 to 20 minutes and is composed of a series of syllables produced in pulses, with each Aphodius species having its own unique song.

More info on the singing of Aphodius dung beetles can be found here: Vibratory Communication in Dung Beetles (Scarabaeidae, Coleoptera) by Julia Kasper & Petra Hirschberger, chapter 31 of Insect Sounds and Communication - Physiology, Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution (CRC Press, 2006).

Otiorhynchus porcatus (Weevil - family Curculionidae)

Otiorhynchus porcatus

Otiorhynchus weevils have fused elytra (wing cases) which renders them completely flightless: this individual still managed to make an appearance indoors - I imagine its fast marching gait could traverse almost any terrain!

The nocturnal adults feed upon the foliage of a variety of plants, whilst the larvae feed underground on the roots.

This is one of the easier Otiorhynchus to identify - no other species has such deeply ridged, boxy-looking elytra.

Rhagonycha fulva (Soldier Beetle - family Cantharidae)

Rhagonycha fulva

Soldier beetles are a classic example of aposematism (when an organism is both brightly coloured and distasteful to predators - predators learn to avoid them) and produce bitter-tasting secretions from their prothoracic and abdominal glands.

This common species is mostly diurnal and congregates in large numbers on the flowerheads of thistles and umbellifers, where it feeds on flower pollen, nectar and smaller insects. The larvae are ground-dwelling and prey solely on other invertebrates.

These beetles often seen in mating pairs as they have a prolonged copulation - also known as mate-guarding - in which the males prevent females from mating with competitors.

Soldier beetles have soft, leathery elytra due to the larger amount of time spent air-borne than most beetles.

Identifying Soldier Beetles:

Rhagonycha fulva is easily identified by the testaceous (brick-red) colouration of the head, pronotum, legs and wing cases (the latter are black tipped). The antennae, mouthparts and tarsi (feet) are black.

For other species, there is a handy identification key available here (PDF document):
Cantharidae - Key to the Adults of the British Species (Original keys by Mike Fitton, 1973. Additions & ammendments by Brian Eversham, 2006).

Kilpatrick Hills, West Dunbartonshire

2010-06-27T17:00:00.000-07:00

Just a short walk with my dad today, from Duntocher to the Test marsh (South of the Greenside Reservoir).

In the damp cloudy weather, butterflies clung sluggishly to the wet vegetation. We encountered Ringlets, Common Blues and Meadow Browns at Little Round Top.

Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) mating pair

Elderberry (Sambucus nigra)

The foamy umbels of creamy-white Elderberry flowers have a musky, fusty aroma.

Elderflower Cordial Recipes:

The British Larder - Elderflower Cordial Recipe

Fuss Free Flavours - Elderflower Cordial Recipe

Food.com - Old Fashioned Elderflower Cordial Recipe

We found Lesser Spearwort growing in the pond at Little Round Top:

Lesser Spearwort (Ranunculus flammula)

Lesser Spearwort is a buttercup of watery habitats - the flowers are indistinguishable from other Ranunculus species but the long, undivided, strap-like leaves are very distinctive.

I found a male Gold Swift (Hepialus hecta) above Little Round Top.

Between Little Round Top wood and the Test we saw a flock of Linnets and a lone Peregrine Falcon (which flew in the direction of the Mohican Woods).

My dad saw a Common Lizard as we passed the steep waterfall below the Test. In the rough grassland here, I found a white flowered mutation of Harebell.

Unknown species of Liverwort (at Test)

In the moorland above the Test, large grey slabs of exposed underlying rock are thinly covered with mosses and stonecrops, interspersed with small patches of bog and crisscrossed with crumbling old dry-stone walls.

Much of the heather had withered away to bare bleached-bone stems with beautifully knotted and twisted branches - weather-beaten to resemble driftwood.

We looked for Slow Worms (unsuccessfully) and Common Lizards (we caught a pregnant female).

At the Northern end of the Test I found a small pile of feathers; a Sparrowhawk kill; possibly the remains of a Whinchat or Stonechat. I took some home to identify - I am thinking of setting up a webpage for my collection of feathers, fur & found objects.

cuckoo bumblebee (Bombus sylvestris)

Six of our twenty-two native bumblebee species (genus Bombus) are cuckoo bumblebees.
Queen cuckoo bumblebees don't construct their own nests, instead they lay their eggs in the nests of other bumblebee species and the workers of the host rear the cuckoo's offspring.

Each cuckoo bumblebee has a favoured host species which it matches closely in colouration.

Bombus sylvestris normally takes over the nests of Bombus pratorum. Its distinguishing features are the very extensive white tail-tip, the presence of a bold yellow thorax band and a faint yellow band at the base of the abdomen.

New Zealand Willowherb (Epilobium brunnescens) seed pods

New Zealand Willowherb is now naturalized over most of the Kilpatrick Hills. This tiny unobtrusive species has creeping stems, circular leaves and pale pink flowers borne on the tips of long reddish seed pods, which split to release downy wind-dispersed seeds.

Kilpatrick Hills, East/West Dunbartonshire

2010-06-18T17:00:00.000-07:00

This is part 2 of my camping trip: the walk home!

As I mentioned in my last post, the midges were horrific! To my horror, when I awoke, I found that my tent was BLACK with midges - all just sitting patiently on the outer surface of my tent, waiting for me to emerge.

By 10am the midges had dispersed somewhat, enabling me to pack away my tent. Burncrooks valley is one of the wildest places in the Kilpatrick Hills: the natural woodland is mainly Alder, with some Birch, Rowan and Willow, and the forest merges naturally into shrubby old-growth heather and bracken on the hills at either side. Very few people walk this way (due to the lack of any paths) so there is never any litter!

Here are some moths I found in Burncrooks valley:

Angle Shades (Phlogophora meticulosa)

This is an Angle Shades moth in situ (above), it hasn't picked a very good hiding place. To demonstrate its brilliant bark camouflage, I moved it to a nearby Alder:

Angle Shades (Phlogophora meticulosa)

This beautiful moth is a common species and is polyphagous - meaning its larvae will eat almost all herbaceous plants. Its scientific name means 'The fearful fire-bearer' (Phlogo = fire + phora = to carry/bear: from Greek, meticulosa = timorous/fearful: Latin). This probably refers to the flame-like triangular markings on the forewings.

My 'Moths of West Dunbartonshire' blog has better photos of this species (from every angle!): http://themothzoo.blogspot.com/2010/07/angle-shades-phlogophora-meticulosa.html.

Four-dotted Footman (Cybosia mesomella)

The Four-dotted Footman (Cybosia mesomella) is a locally distributed species in Scotland. Wing colour ranges from white (like the specimen above) to golden yellow. The larvae are thought to feed mainly on the lichens which encrust heather.

Common Heath (Ematurga atomaria) female

The Common Heath (Ematurga atomaria) is a day-flying moth, common in moorland areas (the larvae feed on heathers (Calluna & Erica spp.) and clovers (Trifolium spp.). Wings are very variable and can be yellow with chocolate marbling, white with chocolate marbling (as in photos above) or unicolourous chocolate brown.

Silver-ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata)

Easily disturbed from vegetation during the day, the Silver-ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata) also flies at night. Look closely at this moth's wings to see the 'snowy mountain peaks' mentioned in its specific name 'montanata' (Latin).

I walked around the edge of Burncrooks reservoir and spotted some Aeshna dragonflies zooming around. Then I entered the pine plantation which borders the Kilmannan reservoir. There is a greater diversity of plant and animal species here than might be expected!

Although at first resembling an agave of some sort, this is a plantation spruce (Picea sp.) branch from above.

Spruce (Picaea sp.)

Spruce (Picaea sp.) needles have a very plastic astro-turf look:

Spruce (Picaea sp.)

Bird's-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) grows profusely at the forest edge, colonising the gravelly path when it can. It's one of the few native plants with orange flowers.

Bird's-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)

Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata)

Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata) is another waste-ground colonizer. One of my South American flatmates used to drink 'plantago tea' - it has medicinal qualities: the leaves are astringent/haemostatic (staunch bleeding) and the whole plant is rich in mucilage (especially the seeds) - with laxative/demulcent properties.

Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula)

Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris)

Groundsel's scientific name (Senecio vulgaris) means 'common old-man' (Senecio = old man, vulgaris = common/widespread: Latin) and the whole plant is hepatotoxic (damages the liver) so should not be eaten.

Tormentil (Potentilla erecta)

Tormentil has roots with a high tannin content and all parts of the plant (especially the root) are highly astringent, staunch bleeding and have antibiotic properties. Traditional uses for this plant include treatment of tooth-ache, mouth ulcers, to treat bed-wetting in children and colitis. Also, a red dye can be obtained from the roots.

I added some new plant species to my regional list: Thyme-leaved Speedwell (Veronica serpyllifolia), Heath Pea (Lathyrus linifolius) and (below) Trailing St-John's Wort (Hypericum humifusum).

Trailing St John's Wort (Hypericum humifusum)

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene)

Marsh Lousewort (Pedicularis palustris) grows profusely on the rocky banks of Burncrooks reservoir (South-East side, near the inflowing river).

Marsh Lousewort (Pedicularis palustris)

Wire deer fences, rolled up

Around Duncolm, the rough grassland was covered with the silvery-white, feather-down seed-heads of Hare's Tail Cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum).

Hare's Tail Cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum)

Hare's Tail Cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum) with Duncolm behind, to left.

We have 2 species of Cottongrass (Eriophorum sp.) in the Kilpatricks: Hare's Tail Cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum) has ONE cottony seed-head per stem, whilst Common Cottongrass (Eriophorum angustifolium) has multiple seed-heads per stem and has channelled leaves - a photo for comparison: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kVgx5uHudvo/SnlfsLhmRLI/AAAAAAAAAu4/jK-CxfnX0A4/s400/cottongrass+(eriophorum).jpg.

Heath Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza maculata)

In nutrient-poor bogs plants use more unusual methods to obtain food: some becoming carnivorous.
Sundews capture their prey with the aid of sticky globules secreted from leaf tentacles. When an insect becomes trapped on this sugary dew, the leaf tentacles and leaf surface begin to wrap around the insect and secrete enzymes to digest it.
The photos below are of the Round-leaved Sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) which I found growing on the boggy grassland South of Duncolm.

Round-leaved Sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) with flower buds

Round-leaved Sundew (Drosera rotundifolia)

One of the sundew leaves above has already managed to trap a victim: it will supply the plant with a valuable source of nitrogen.

Here is an excellent photo demonstrating the ability of a sundew (Drosera anglica - the largest British sundew) to tackle larger prey (damselflies): http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Drosera_anglica_ne2.jpg.

I stopped at the Test to have a drink and rest my tired feet. At this point I discovered that the soles were coming off my boots :(

Some nearby Blackface Sheep began making their snorting 'chirrit' alarm call at me: the sheep on the Kilpatrick Hills are almost feral and live on the moor all year round.

Kilpatrick Hills, East/West Dunbartonshire

2010-06-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

Camping Trip!

Last year I got a bat detector for my christmas, but so far I haven't had many opportunities to use it. It enabled me to listen to Common Pipistrelles in the backgarden: these bats make a series of clicks which turn into 'wet slaps' at lower frequencies (the deepest slaps are at 45khz- the peak frequency).

I set off on a short camping trip, up to Burncrooks Reservoir, to do a bit of exploring with my bat detector, thinking that maybe I'd get a chance to hear Daubenton's or Natterer's Bats.

Duncolm to the left, looking towards the distant mountains surrounding Loch Lomond

Dumgoyne in the distance

Hare's Tail Cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum)

Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis) juvenile

Rowan tree (Sorbus aucuparia)

Small Heath butterfly (Coenonympha pamphilus)

Someone else had pitched their tent beside Burncrooks dam, so I had to find another spot - along the treeline of Burncrooks valley (near the old sheep shelter). Midges were biting me viciously, even as I was putting my tent up, and it wasn't even dusk yet. Exhausted, I crept into my sleeping bag and slept for a few hours, until the last red glow had vanished from the sky.

Strange animal noises filled the night. First, the qwavering 'HOooo HOoo' of a male Tawny Owl. Later, when I emerged from my tent, the terrifying (even when you know what it is!) 'old-man-coughing-turning-into-a-dog's-bark' of a male Roe Deer - very close. As I approached the sound, a pair of disembodied glowing eyes reflected the light from my head-torch.

I switched on the bat detector and made a short circuit, following the edge of the forest. I briefly managed to pick up the call of a pipistrelle - I kept having to seek refuge in my tent from the swarm of face-eating midges.

Midges were biting my eyes, my hands, my scalp...the air was so thick with them, I was breathing them in...It was unbearable :(

I was pretty glad my tent had a built-in mosquito net!

Twice during the night, a mystery animal passed close to my tent, purring loudly and deeply. I still have absolutely no idea what it could have been. A feral cat? It seems unlikely, given the remote location.

Kilpatrick Hills, West Dunbartonshire

2010-06-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

There are plenty of thrashing, fluttering fledgling birds of every species around at the moment. The Collared Doves in my parent's garden have raised a pair of 'squabs' which are still collarless and lack the sleekness of the adults. I've been watching the local Jackdaws take their recently fledged young for a communal bath in the massive rain puddle on the roof of a nearby primary school.

Today, in Little Round Top wood, I found a rather sad-faced young Blue Tit:

Blue Tit juvenile (Parus caeruleus)

The meadow around Little Round Top was full of brightly coloured flowers and butterflies: Common Blues, Small Coppers and Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries.

Ragged Robin (below) is one of my favourite wild flowers: the crumpled flowers are such an exquisite shade of candy-floss pink.

Ragged Robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi)

The Ragged Robin's scientific name is Latin for 'shining cuckoo-flower' (Lychnis = shining/light-giving, flos = flower + cuculi = cuckoo).

Red Campion (Silene dioica)

Ash (Fraxinus excelsior)

Below Little Round Top I found a species of rose I'd never seen before, it had white flowers and was covered in resinous glands: clearly not a Dog Rose.

Sherard's Downy Rose (Rosa sherardii) ?

This rose is probably Sherard's Downy Rose (Rosa Sherardii), the commonest downy rose in Scotland, but I'd have to see the rosehips to be certain. The other contender is the Downy Rose (Rosa tomentosa), which is scarce in Scotland. Unusually, the flowers of this rose are white - my books say that the flowers of Sherard's Downy Rose are 'always pink' whereas the Downy Rose (R.tomentosa) may have pink or white flowers...

Pignut (Conopodium majus)

Pignut is a small, delicate umbellifer with edible tubers (after which it is named). These can be eaten raw or boiled/roasted and are said to have a pleasant nutty taste.

Pignuts and how to cook them:
http://www.countrylovers.co.uk/wfs/pignut.htm.

Marsh Hawksbeard (Crepis paludosa)

Walking down from Little Round Top wood I noticed a herd of young bulls near the phone mast to the East and picked up my pace. Sure enough, the bullocks began briskly trotting towards me. Luckily, I was able to squeeze through a gap in a barbed wire fence before they reached me :(

I caught this Common Carder-bee (Bombus pascuorum) in my parent's garden:

Common Carder-bee (Bombus pascuorum)

Bombus pasuorum is the commonest of the ginger 'carder' bumblebees and can be identified by the presence of black hairs on the abdomen.

Kilpatrick Hills, West Dunbartonshire

2010-06-12T17:00:00.000-07:00

I met my dad just below Overton House and we climbed the Lang Craigs and walked over the top of Rigangower, via Glenarbuck to Haw Craig valley and then Duntocher.

Overton Glen was full of woodland flowers including Water Avens (Geum rivale), Sanicle (Sanicula europaea) and Woodruff (Galium odoratum).

We saw a pair of Wheaters feeding a juvenile on the rough grassland below the Lang Craigs. Amongst the loose scree at the base of the Lang Craigs we heard a Stonechat: there seem to be fewer around this year, normally they outnumber the Whinchats.

As we struggled up the Lang Craigs cliffside, a noisy family group of Ravens flew overhead.

Some bluebells are still flowering, unusually late, at the top of the Lang Craigs.

Dung Roundhead (Stropharia semiglobata), on grassland East of Lang Craigs

Brooklime grows in the burn that runs alongside Rigangower quarry (South East of Greenland Reservoir number 3). My dad found an old fishing rod by the side of the wall, which he insisted on taking home.

Ruby Tiger (Phragmatobia fuliginosa)

For whatever reason, Ruby Tiger moths become brighter red in colour as you travel further south, the most ruby-red specimens are found in England. In much of Scotland we have a dark brown version (with just a hint of red): the subspecies borealis. The specimen photographed above is not a 'borealis' but it is still a very dull red.

This is the copper colour-morph of the click beetle Ctenicera cuprea:

click beetle (Ctenicera cuprea) male

At the Triangle Reservoir (between Auchentorlie Glen and Haw Craig) we added a new bird species to our local list: Sand Martins! We sat and watched them skim the water: they were too fast and unpredictable to capture on camera.

Sand Martins (Riparia riparia) normally nest on sandy banks of slow-flowing rivers, I think the birds we saw are probably nesting at Rigangower quarry.

The first of the Common Blue Damselflies (Enallagma cyathigerum) have emerged.

Wild Thyme (Thymus praecox brittanicus)

This enormous woolly cocoon belongs to the Drinker moth:

Drinker moth (Euthrix potatoria) cocoon

It was about 4cm in length and was attached to a reed in a marshy field.

There are still a few Coenagrion puella Damselflies remaining at Little Round Top.

Kilpatrick Hills, West Dunbartonshire

2010-06-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

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 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)

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)

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)

Fern

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)

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 (probably 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 just caught a glimpse of the male's red forehead in the sunshine.

Tinto Hill, South Lanarkshire - SSSI

2010-05-25T17:00:00.000-07:00

Tinto Hill (707 metres), is an outlying peak of the Southern Uplands and is a designated SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) due to the presence of subalpine heath and Quaternary geology.

In terms of geology, Tinto Hill is a good example of active periglacial stone stripes (freeze/thaw sorting of stones: resembling a ploughed field) and is composed of volcanic felsite and Old Red Sandstone.

Characteristic flora of the subalpine dry heath on Tinto includes Stiff Sedge (Carex bigelowii), Crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) and Cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus).

To get to this location, my mum and I got a train from Dalmuir to Lanark (1hr 20mins, £12.30) and then we caught a 191 bus from Lanark to Thankerton (15 mins): the bus station in Lanark is right next to the train station. Also, watch out for the neds: Lanark is teeming with them :(
The path up Tinto Hill is obvious and well-maintained and there is a cafe (Tinto Hill Tearoom) and public toilets at the foot of the hill.

Thankerton is surrounded by fields of cattle, I was glad that these cheeky chaps were behind a fence:

On our way to the top, we could hear Curlews curlew-ing and the squeaky pee-peet-ing of Meadow Pipits. Below the summit, by the side of the path, clumps of Cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus) were flowering.

Cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus)

Cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus) with Bilberry flower (Vaccinium myrtillus)

Cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus)

Cloudberry is a dwarfed, mountain-dwelling relative of the Raspberry and produces edible amber coloured berries in autumn. Unusually, this plant is dioecious: individual plants are either male or female and cannot self-pollinate.

The view from the top of Tinto was incredible, particularly if you look towards the bleak Southern Uplands. As we sat and ate our lunch we spotted our first Red Admiral of the year:

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

Most Red Admiral butterflies (Vanessa atalanta) are migrants to our shores from central Europe.

We got lost on our descent of Tinto and began to walk down the rough scree at Pap Craig: we saw a Raven and a pair of Wheatears. When we realized we were heading the wrong way (we were supposed to be following the Scaut Hill path), we turned back.

Just at this point I heard falling scree behind me, looking round I saw a startled Mountain Hare tripping over the loose rocks in its attempt to get away! Its fur was frosty-grey and it had notably shorter ears than the Brown Hare.

As we made our way to the Scaut Hill path we crossed an area of heath which was scattered with clumps of angora-soft, white hair: Mountain Hare hair! I collected the moulted hair to add to my collection, I will photograph it at some point.

Cowberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) unopened flowers

Cowberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) is a relative of Cranberry and produces very tart, red berries which can be used in recipes. The leaves contain arbutin, a glycosylated hydroquinone, which inhibits tyrosinase and prevents the production of melanin (it is used in skin whiteners).

Circular Hillfort on Tinto

The circular mound in the middle of the above photo is a circular hillfort with a series of concentric ramparts. At the very summit of Tinto Hill there is also a Bronze Age circular cairn.

The Scaut Hill path crosses a field of cattle which looked docile enough but the nearby strip of fenced-in coniferous plantation allowed us a safer route.

Kilpatrick Hills, West Dunbartonshire

2010-05-23T17:00:00.000-07:00

My dad and I were meant to be going on an organised walk to see the March Stones in the Kilpatrick Hills...
We arrived at the meeting place (Cochno waterworks), but seeing no one there, we thought that perhaps the group had left early. We speed-walked up the road to the Greenside but were unable to find anyone: presuming that the walk had been cancelled (as was the case last year), we decided to head out on a walk of our own.

On the way up to the Greenside Reservoir we saw a Carrion Crow's nest in one of the trees near the Loch Humphrey Burn. Small Heath butterflies flitted about, landing briefly on the gravelly path ahead of us. Approaching the Greenside dam we saw a male Whinchat.
Common Sandpipers are nesting on the banks of the Greenside, not far from the dam.

We walked round the Eastern edge of the Greenside (lots of Mossy Saxifrage flowering) and at the point where the river feeds in from the Cochno/Jaw, we stopped to watch a male Reed Bunting collecting reeds to build his nest. He was very adept at clipping the long reeds (much longer than himself!) and carrying them to a nearby stunted Hawthorn tree.

Metallic-purplish click beetles (Ctenicera cuprea) were abundant:

Click beetle (Ctenicera cuprea) male

This common click beetle is associated with upland heath/moor and the long-antennaed males fly on sunny days from May to July (females are more secretive and have shorter antennae).

The scientific name Ctenicera cuprea means 'Comb-horn coppery' (Cten = comb + cera = horn, from Greek; and cuprea = copper, from Latin).

This beetle is very variable in its colouration: it can be yellowish-copper with a darker head, it can be completely metallic-green, or completely metallic-purple (like those photographed above).

At the Dirty Leven river (between Humphrey and Greenside), my dad demonstrated the art of 'guddling' for Trout: we very nearly managed to catch one too!

Lousewort (Pedicularis sylvatica) grows near the Dirty Leven. Marsh Lousewort (Pedicularis palustris) also grows in the Kilpatrick Hills, especially around Burn Crooks reservoir.

Lousewort (Pedicularis sylvatica)

We walked to the Humphrey Reservoir (where we saw the usual Greylag Geese, Mallard and Tufted Ducks) and crossed the reedy field at Boglairoch.

In this field we followed the cricket-trilling of a Grasshopper Warbler which disappeared mysteriously, as they always do, like a will o' the wisp, as soon as we got close, only to re-appear futher away.

I never understand how they manage to change location without appearing to fly the distance in-between!

Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris)

Water Avens (Geum rivale)

Water Horsetails (Equisetum fluviatile) at Curling pond

Water Horsetail (Equisetum fluviatile)

At the Eastern side of the Mohican Woods we saw a Spotted Flycatcher darting about in the Oak trees. Looking through our binoculars we noticed a nearby treehole with a recently constructed moss cup clearly visible: a Spotted Flycatcher nest!

Woodpecker holes

Tortoiseshell butterfly (Aglais urticae)

Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca)

Wild Strawberries produce tiny aromatic fruits that are sweeter and more strongly flavoured than shop bought strawberries. The scientific name means 'Fragrant to-feed' (Fragaria, from fragro = fragrant/scented, and vesca = from vescor, to use as food).

Day-flying Brown Silver-line moths (Petrophora chlorosata) fluttered about the bracken.

Kilpatrick Hills, West Dunbartonshire

2010-05-22T17:00:00.000-07:00

It's been swelteringly hot and humid for the past few days. I didn't want to push myself too hard so I spent the entire day at Little Round Top, where I could shelter from the sun in the woods.

The Bluebells are flowering (at last!).

Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta)

A flock of Starlings were busy feeding their brown-feathered young in the grass: the squawking juveniles chase their parents unrelentingly, begging to be fed. Meanwhile, a Roe buck grazed not far from where I was sitting. Small Copper butterflies are just beginning to emerge.

Germander Speedwell (Veronica chamaedrys)

Colours of Bugle (Ajuga reptans):

Bugle comes in a number of shades - here is the normal, violet-blue variety:

Bugle (Ajuga reptans)

This is the white variant, notice that the leaves are yellowish-green rather than the usual red-purple tinged:

Bugle (Ajuga reptans) white variant

Here's the pink variant:

Bugle (Ajuga reptans) pink variant

Bog Stitchwort (Stellaria uliginosa)

Crab Apple (Malus sylvestris)

Bluish-green lichens make this Hawthorn bark resemble dragon-skin:

Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)

Yellow Flag (Iris pseudacorus) forms a lush forest of leaves: an ideal habitat for damselflies & dragonflies.

Yellow Flag (Iris pseudacorus)

The Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella) reaches peak numbers (here at least) in late May and early June and emerges long before the Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum) is on the wing.

Males are a paler, less vibrant blue than E.cyathigerum and have very broad black antehumeral stripes. The second abdominal segment is marked with a black, flat-bottomed U shape. The 8th abdominal segment is entirely blue and the 9th is blue with some black towards the rear.

Females come in two colour forms: blue and green (both are heavily marked with black). It's hard to tell the females apart from other Coenagrion species, looking at the shape of the pronotum of the thorax can aid identification: http://www.habitas.org.uk/dragonflyireland/femaleblues.htm.

Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella) female

Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella) male

Water Horsetail (Equisetum fluviatile) strobilus

Water Horsetail (Equisetum fluviatile)

Orange-tip butterflies (Anthocharis cardamines) had laid a bright orange egg on every Cuckoo Flower I looked at:

Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines) egg

Orange-tips lay their eggs singly, one egg per plant, because the larvae are cannibalistic. This egg will take 1-2 weeks to hatch and the pale green larva will first eat its eggshell and then feed on the developing seed pods of the Cuckoo Flower.

Mother Shipton Moth (Callistege mi)

The day-flying Mother Shipton moth (Callistege mi) is so-named because its wings are said to bear the image of the English soothsayer Mother Shipton, aka Ursula Southeil (1488–1561). If you look at the wings you can see the mirror-image portrait of a hag's face in profile, with a punch-and-judy-style chin & nose, a mouth and an eye.

Kilpatrick Hills, West Dunbartonshire

2010-05-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

Today I walked from Little Round Top (near Duntocher) to the Test, then the Greenside, Jaw/Cochno and Kilmannan Reservoirs.

Near Little Round Top, I disturbed another Brown Hare which had been lying in the long grass.

Willows are starting to colonize the middle of the Test marsh and perched in these there were 2 male Reed Buntings. As I made my way towards them, a male Pheasant exploded from the reeds and scared the life out of me! In the distance a Grasshopper Warbler could be heard trilling.

Green-veined White (Pieris napi) female

Primrose (Primula vulgaris)

Common Milkwort (Polygala vulgaris), an easily overlooked flower, is growing on the heathland above the Test:

Common Milkwort (Polygala vulgaris)

Milkwort is so named because of the false belief that it could increase the milk production in nursing mothers. The scientific name reflects this: Polygala means 'many-milk' in Latin (poly = many + gala = milk).

The Greenside Reservoir is normally frequented by Buckfast-drinking youths and quadbikes, so not really a place to stop for long, unless you want company. At the Southern end there is a dam and a platform extending into the reservoir with a 'crown of thorns' gate.

I walked through the native tree planting between the Greenside and the Jaw/Cochno Reservoirs. Here I saw a Roe Deer and a Cuckoo. On the ground, from here to the Jaw/Cochno, there were lots of Marsh Violets.

Violets:

In the Kilpatrick Hills there are 3 species of violet & pansy: the Common Dog Violet (Viola riviniana), Marsh Violet (Viola palustris) and Wild Pansy (Viola tricolor).

Marsh Violets (below) have circular leaves and the lower petal is marked with bold, reddish-purple lines. The flower has a short, violet-coloured spur (back of flower). Both leaves and flowers have a waxy, fleshy quality which the Common Dog Violet lacks. This violet grows on marshy, open ground.

Marsh Violet (Viola palustris)

In contrast, the Common Dog Violet has pointed, slightly arrow-shaped leaves and the lower petal is white at the innermost edge and marked with fine, blackish-purple lines. The spur is long, paler than the flower and notched. This species grows on grass & moorland but reaches highest densities in woodland.

Common Dog Violet (Viola riviniana)

At the Jaw & Cochno Reservoirs there was the usual flock of Greylag Geese (3). I followed the forestry plantation fire-break from the Jaw to the Kilmannan where I saw another Roe Deer.

The coniferous plantation around the Kilmannan Reservoir has recently been felled and the air was swarming with twittering Swallows. Somewhere nearby, a Common Sandpiper was piping away. The Forestry Commission have built a new bridge across the river that leaves the Eastern side of the Kilmannan, I avoided this churned up area and followed the river upstream where small trees and Gorse bushes line the banks. Sitting on the bank with my binocs, I watched a Chiffchaff picking insects delicately off leaf surfaces.

As I passed the Kilmannan on my way home, I spotted a female Goosander, far out in the middle of the loch.

In the fading light I saw 3 Roe Deer (2 does and a large buck), at Little Round Top.

Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage (Chrysosplenium oppositifolium)

A pellet of some kind?