Kilpatrick Hills, West Dunbartonshire

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

Green-veined White (Pieris napi) female

Primrose (Primula vulgaris)

Primrose (Primula vulgaris)

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

Common Milkwort (Polygala vulgaris)

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)

Marsh Violet (Viola palustris)

Marsh Violet (Viola palustris)

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)

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?

Kilpatrick Hills, West Dunbartonshire

Winter lingers on...the hills are almost flowerless and scattered with snow patches. Today I walked from Duntocher to the Mohican Woods (above the old curling pond), to Duncolm and then the Kilmannan Reservoir. The sky remained dark and overcast throughout the day but the rain held off.

Rusty metal

At the Eastern end of the Mohican Woods I put up 2 Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) which were sitting silently amongst the leaf litter. The ground was scattered with their barred feathers. Soon after, I disturbed a Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus).

The forest floor was covered with the yellowish-green flowers of Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage (Chrysosplenium oppositifolium).

Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage (Chrysosplenium oppositifolium) 

Oops! I previously misidentified the above plant, assuming it to be young specimens of Sun Spurge.

At the top of the Mohican Woods, a flock of 12 Common Crossbills (Loxia curvirostra) landed on a Larch tree close to the path. They began feeding on the Larch cones and it struck me how large they are (for finches) and also, how strangely parrot-like.

Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)

I investigated the recently-felled pine forest (forestry commission) between Duncolm and the Kilmannan Reservoir. Piles of white bags ominously printed in red with 'Pesticide Treated', turned out to be filled with sapling trees (mixed native species) awaiting planting. Part of a native forest restoration project??

The roots of the upturned/felled trees formed 2 metres-high, earthen/turf wall along the edge of the forest:



On the Kilmannan there was a small flock of Goldeneye (Bucephalus clangula) and a pair of Mallards (Anas platyrynchos).

In the nearby pine forest I found a recently erected nestbox which, judging by the size of entrance, is intended for a large bird species (goldeneye? owls?).