Easier Day

Thursday, April 29 

After a far more leisurely start, we drove to Caerlaverock Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust Reserve (WWT), most notable for the tens of thousands of Barnacle Geese which winter in and around the reserve. The car park is a good place to pick up 'padders' for the trip list. Birds such as Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Willow Warbler, Blackbird, House Sparrow and Dunnock. We enjoyed eating our breakfast here, Swallows and House Martins zooming about, and a few groups of remaining Barnacle Geese, heralding their approach by uttering their unfamiliar calls.

Having ascertained that driving on the reserve is not possible, we walked to the comfortable and spacious Tower Hide, where we sat for quite a while seeing........not a lot. Earlier in the year it would have been full of Whooper Swans and various duck species. Small groups of geese, and more frequently, Jackdaws, Carrion Crows and Wood Pigeons flew past, half a dozen Mallard loafed on the pool's verge or swam in pairs. A Sedge Warbler sang briefly from a nearby hedge,

One paired up female Mallard did something we have never seen a classified as dabbling duck, do before. She kept, in close proximity to her mate, diving, disappearing for times which varied from three to six seconds. She did this about eight times in succession. Each time, her mate looked about as though puzzled as to her whereabouts. More often than not, she re-appeared in a different place from that in which he was looking, before returning to his side. 

It was rather chilly to be sitting for too long, we returned to the car via the shop - no choice of exit. Good marketing. Pam bought two hot chocolates whilst I sat in Rolly, perusing the book shelves. Of course. A fat tome entitled ''A Nature Poem a Day'' was soon added to the shopping. The caveat is that I have to do a daily reading, out loud. A pleasure.

It hailed as we walked to the car, the first of a few wintry showers during the day.

We decided to return via the coast and Dumfries, turning for Glencaple when we got to Bankend. We parked in a hotel car park overlooking the narrow sea inlet . The tide was visibly rushing in, white crested tidal waves speedily flowing inland. It looked like the Severn Bore in reverse. Five Whimbrel, well camouflaged on the far bank, gave themselves up to Pam's sharp eyes. A few Shelduck, a pair of Oystercatchers, passing Swallows, and a short visit from a White Wagtail - the continental nominate form of our Pied Wagtail subspecies.

 

To Pam's delight, the first Brown Hare of the trip hunkered down in a roadside field. I'm rather fond of them too.

 

Navigating our way through and around the enormous city of Glasgow is hairy, even with the SatNav. The route is complicated, with many junctions, changes of road number, overpasses, underpasses, all in the company of a lot of traffic, which is rapidly intent on its known destination. Unwittingly losing the M8 didn't help. Without adding to our white hair, we arrived at Dumbarton TraveLodge for the night. 

And, another M and S food store. 

I forgot to load my photo editing programme onto my new laptop before leaving home. I used a Microsoft programme to re-size, nothing else became obvious to me. More research required. Old dog, new tricks? Always hope.