Eric & Lesley's Wildlife Blog - Wildscotphotos

Bumbling Along

28/6/2020

A couple of days ago we went walking in a local den which is a strip of woodland with a steam running through. At this time of the year its usually hard to see much and so it proved.
We retreated to the upper slopes where it was quiet of people although a bit windy. There, we found a couple of bumble bees feeding. I had an inkling that I hadn't seen this pattern before so I took a couple of pictures but the wind made it difficult.
Back home I found another on the pavement in front of the house (pictured). Its a Tree Bumblebee.
Tree Bumblebees were first discovered in Britain in 2001. They have been steadily moving northwards. They are aided by a liking for nesting in bird boxes so humans have been helping them along if inadvertently. It was satisfying to find a new species literally on the doorstep.

In a Drop of Water

10/6/2020

Since travel is still a bit limited we have had time to enjoy things closer to home. My first love as a child naturalist was gazing into a pond and seeing the myriad of creatures that lived there. Even now I get a thrill from seeing them again.
Last week we found a huge number of these Ostracods locally. Named after the Greek word for shell they live within the shell just poking out swimmerets to propel themselves. How did they get there? Who know but their eggs can stand drought so they could have arrived with moss I placed close to the pond. It is probably thirty years since I previous took pictures of them. They do present a serious challenge since they are about 1.5 mm in size. You need all the magnification you can muster... and more. Even Daphnia are larger. Enjoy

At The Match

28/5/2020

It pays to have friends. People you trust and trust you. Recently I got a tip-off that two hares were in a field, close to home and were sometimes boxing. So I set off with camera in car and waited by the edge. Perhaps unfortunately we had some weather that day. Basically strong winds were blowing rain into the car on the side I had to sit whilst awaiting the action. As a result, I had to periodically take the camera kit inside the car and hope that I could shoot in between the worst of the weather.
In the end I got some pictures and was pleased to see that the rain enhance the images. The smaller male (Jack) Hare is on the right of the picture. After I left, a third Hare came so he would likely have to up his game even further. Although I have seen boxing Hare before, the only pictures I have were on transparency film so it was great to get some fresh footage.

Up in Flames

30/4/2020

Its not often we have a natural disaster locally but we do now. We live close to the largest single reedbed in Britain. We visit regularly and are aware that bird migration to the reedbeds has been ongoing for about the past 10 days, however, on Monday a fire ripped through the whole area. It could have been even worse. With great fortune a local man stepped in. His job was putting out fires by dropping water from his helicopter. His contribution was immense since the Fire Service had difficult in taking water from the river due to difficulty of access.
It will undoubtedly be a poor year for the breeding birds, nevertheless there is plenty of hope that it will recover. Meanwhile the smell lingers.

Home Under Construction

26/4/2020

Well we have just has to get used to the major changes to our lives. One little project is that we are trying to further develop an understanding of what is on our patch along the river. We have walked it quite a few times in the past but now it generally is constrained by walking from the house. So far we have seen a creditable 69 species of bird and 5 mammals. It is already becoming more difficult to add new ones but there are a small number of migrants due in the next week.
We also found a Long-tailed Tit building a nest. Perhaps of all the local birds their nest is the most beautiful. This bird (pictured) is bringing in a little piece of lichen which will finish the outside. The interior decoration will finish the job. Life renews constantly.

The Jewel of the Pond

22/2/2020

Its been a long winter albeit without any real wintry weather. It continues cold, wet and sometimes very windy. A hard life for wildlife out in it all the time.
Dippers are coping well despite record high water. They hunt the water's edge where the current is less strong, apparently finding enough to eat. I know they are doing just fine because I see a pair and they have time to sit around and preen. They are built to thrive in these conditions.
It has been more of a surprise, therefore, to find a local Kingfisher. I have seen this female a few times now. Each time I wonder if she will survive the next onslaught of poor weather. Time will tell but my fingers are crossed.

Snow Melt

7/2/2020

We continue with the theme of the last blog. Yesterday we looked at the forecast and decided it would be a good day for the hills. It was. After the early fog cleared it was wall-to-wall sunshine and really a pleasant temperature. If fact, having prepared for the hill we were overheating. Still sitting, having lunch with a mountainous vista is always agreeable. However, for the time of year the snow was disappointing.
Nevertheless we saw a number of Mountain Hares and calling Red Grouse. The hares we encountered were pure white so they are banking on the snow not disappearing yet. We also encountered a flock of Snow Buntings. I'm not sure if this one was was looking to bathe, feed in the melting snow, or what. Still, its unusual to get a pictures of a Snow Bunting with some sort of reflection.

The Phoney Winter

27/1/2020

After a rather cold November the weather has been not at all wintry. No scraping ice from car, no snow and barely any frost. Many of the winter visitors have moved on but where? No Waxwings are around any more and very few Thrushes remain. Some may have gone to their breeding grounds. The comparative mildness has brought surprises though. There are a number of Great Egrets in Scotland. Until recently that would be a real shock but the northward colonisation continue pace with many species involved.
At the coast things are more normal. A flock of Ringed Plover is easily disturbed, even by birdwatchers although more often by dogwalkers and their pets. I guess when spend time on the tide line disturbance is a way of life.

Velvet Beauties

13/1/2020

If someone asked me what the most difficult habitat to photograph birds I would say woodland. The light is often difficult and you have the problem of not seeing the wood for the trees.
However, on reflection perhaps the sea is a bigger challenge, certainly when working from solid ground. The problem is simple - you need the wildlife to approach you. There's no easy answer but studying tide tables putting in the time and visiting repeatedly gets some results. Here we found a flock of Velvet Scoters feeding and socialising just offshore. Getting this close happens less than annually. They will be around for another couple of months but likely that's it for this year.

A Flock of Lovelies

30/11/2019

In theory winter has not started but in practice we have had a series of frosty mornings. This is good for photography, once you have scraped the ice of the car and gone to find the birds.

Over the past few days Waxwings have been present in the City. They brighten up any cold day with their gay abandon in raiding the berries from these planted trees, often around supermarkets. As well as seeing these lovelies you can enjoy their trilling call, often increasing in intensity before the flock takes to the air. Soon they will be scarce when the berry crop is depleted. We must enjoy them now.