Kilpatrick Hills, West Dunbartonshire

Today was like two days rolled into one: I left early (4am), as I was getting a lift up to the Black Linn/Craigarestie for one of this year's Black Grouse counts.

No Black Grouse seen or heard by me, though my Dad was lucky enough to witness a lek of 6 males on Cochno Hill - a new lek site for the area!

Mostly, we just sat in the dark with our feet turning to blocks of ice and the cold wind slicing through us :(

All that could be heard were cuckoos, the twittering and warbling of small birds from the conifers, a pair of alarmed Mallards and the chortling, rattling "go-back go-back" of Red Grouse. Briefly, a Buzzard soared overhead and some Herdwick sheep (more about those later!) in the distance unwittingly mimicked Black Grouse. I had to keep stretching my legs to keep my feet from getting too painfully numb: it's amazing how the temperature drops at night...so much for my notions of going camping...

In the fields below Overton, East of Bowling, there was a small flock of grazing Shelduck.

After I'd been dropped off back in Duntocher (thanks Gillian & Gordon!), I had a few cups of tea and the weather (which had looked certain to be heavy rain) began to brighten up. Since it was only 10am, I decided to go back into the hills for a bit.

On this walk I followed the Humphrey Road to Haw Craig, past the quarry to the Auchentorlie Glen woods, onto the top of the Lang Craigs, then down the Overton Glen (following the river). On the way home I walked to the Humphrey via the Black Linn and Greenland Reservoirs and back down the Humphrey Road.

Swallows (Hirundo rustica) were perched on the barbed wire fence by the side of the Humphrey Road. The sunshine revealed the metallic blue-black of their backs.

I found a large Garden Tiger (Arctia caja) larva or 'wooly bear', at Haw Craig:

Garden Tiger (Arctia caja) larva

Garden Tiger (Arctia caja) larva

Garden Tiger (Arctia caja) larva

Sitting on the crest of the cliff, I could see into the wooded gully below: a Roe Deer buck (unawares of my presence), charged through the undergrowth, barking loudly.

Mystery warblers flitted about tantalizingly close. Orange-tips (only males), Small Whites and Peacock butterflies are on the wing.

Greater Stitchwort (Stellaria holostea) is flowering at Haw Craig:

Greater Stitchwort (Stellaria holostea)

Greater Stitchwort (Stellaria holostea)

Greater Stitchwort (Stellaria holostea)

Greater Stitchwort (Stellaria holostea)

Broom (Cytisus scoparius)

Broom (Cytisus scoparius)

Broom (Cytisus scoparius)

Whilst crossing the short clumps of Broom at the North Western edge of the Haw Craig valley, a Common Lizard scuttled away under my feet.

Near the Lang Craig, I saw my first Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) of the year:

Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) male

Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) male

Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) male

The Wheatear's scientific name 'Oenanthe oenanthe' is latin for 'The-grape-of-the-wild-vine'...not really sure why!

On the top of the Lang Craig I saw a male Emperor Moth. Here also, there was a flock of Herdwick sheep:

Herdwick sheep (1 year old)

Herdwick sheep (1 year old)

The ancient Herdwick sheep is native to the Lake District fells of Cumbria (North West England) and is one of the hardiest sheep breeds: capable of coping with the harsh weather and poor-quality grazing on Cumbrian mountains in winter.

Lambs are born black and gradually lighten in colour - at one year old they are dark brown with white face and legs (at this stage they are known as hoggs or hoggets). Eventually they become 'hoar-frosted' slate grey with white head and legs. Only the rams have horns. The legs are chunky, strong-boned and have large knees. Herdwicks have dense, coarse wool with a high kemp and lanoline (oil) content, which makes it waterproof, quick-drying and highly insulative.

Bred to be territorial, they will not wander far from where they were born: a trait known as 'heafing'. They are kept mainly for their strongly flavoured meat. The coarse grey wool is not easily dyed and has little commercial value - it is mostly used for carpets, loft insulation and knitware.

For comparision, the usual sheep kept on the Kilpatrick Hills is the Scottish Blackface:

Scottish Blackface sheep

Drinker moth (Euthrix potatoria) larva

Drinker moth (Euthrix potatoria) larva

In the Overton Glen (banks of river) I found my second Common Lizard of the day! More Herdwick sheep also. Mossy Saxifrage was growing on the rocks at the edge of the stream.

On the way back home I passed the Black Linn - 3 Greylag Geese and a Mistle Thrush on the grassy bank.

The pair of Ravens from Haw Craig cronked at me as I walked back down the Humphrey path.

Raven (Corvus corax)

Further down the Humphrey Road I found Chicken of the Woods fungus growing on a rotten tree at the side of the road.

Chicken of the Woods fungus (Laetiporus sulphureus)

Chicken of the Woods fungus (Laetiporus sulphureus)

The Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) is said to be one of the best edible mushrooms (I have no doubt it tastes better than the flavourless 'shop mushrooms'!). The scientific name means 'Pleasing-pores sulphury' (Laeti = pleasing/joyful + porus = pores, sulphureus = like sulphur).

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinalis)

Dandelion's scientific name means 'Of-disturbance used-to-treat' : Taraxacum = of disturbance (Greek), and officinalis = which translates roughly as 'used to treat/of medicinal use'(Latin). This refers to both the Dandelion's preference for disturbed ground/wasteland and its past medicinal uses.

Dandelion is one of the best edible wild flowers: the entire plant is edible and completely safe to eat! The only warning I would give is that Dandelion is strongly diuretic: don't eat large amounts if this bothers you (I am a chain-tea-drinker anyway!).

Eating Dandelions:
Leaves & Flowers:
The slightly bitter but very nutritious leaves can be eaten raw in salads or cooked. If you have pet rabbits, guinea pigs, gerbils, chinchillas or degus, they will appreciate dandelion (from a herbicide-free source!).

Roots:
When cooked these are said to have a 'turnip-like' flavour. They can also be dried, roasted and ground to make a coffee substitute (caffeine-free!).

Recipe Ideas:

Dandelion Coffee - http://www.eatweeds.co.uk/dandelion-root-coffee-recipe.

Dandelion Pasta - http://www.occasionalomnivore.com/2009/12/09/homemade-dandelion-pasta

Dandelion & Goat Cheese Empanadas - http://www.latimes.com/features/la-fo-lunchboxrec7a-2009jan07,0,1192399.story

Pickled Dandelion Buds (and other wild-food pickles) - http://www.wildmanwildfood.com/pages/ck09junepickofthepickles.pdf

Kilpatrick Hills, West Dunbartonshire

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Whangie

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

Raven (Corvus corax)

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

Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) foot-print

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

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

Red Grouse (Lagopus lagopus) foot-prints

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

Red Grouse (Lagopus lagopus) wing-beats in snow

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

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

Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus) female

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

Campsie Fells

Campsie Fells

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

Robin (Erithacus rubecula)

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