Trip reports

Local outing report

Saturday, 25 June 2011

It was a drizzly, midgy day when nine of us set out from Red Moss car park for a walk into the Pentlands. At the bridge overlooking Bavelaw marsh we saw a heron, a number of black - headed gulls with a few immatures, wigeon, teal, lapwing, a pied wagtail, mallard, jackdaws and crows. Willow warblers were heard and seen in Redford wood along with a coal tit, two wood pigeons and chaffinches. Swallows and house martins swept the fields.

On entering the moorland we immediately heard the mournful cry of curlew as they flew overhead, and walking towards Green Cleugh spotted many meadow pipits, a flock of starlings and a single mistle thrush. Suddenly we heard the characteristic call of a snipe and had good sightings as it flew and then dropped into the undergrowth. Good views of male and female reed buntings we obtained as they conveniently perched on a wall.

Further into the moorland we saw a buzzard circling and then a pair of ravens, with rather ragged plumage and harsh kronk - kronk call. Mark spotted a ring ouzel for us, flying across the valley into the hillside and Helen who stayed behind heard it repeatedly calling. The weather had now improved, skylarks sang overhead as we walked towards our streamside lunch spot. From here, we were able to see wheatears and both pied and grey wagtails dancing and displaying, and watch sand martins hunt along the stream. Their small colony was in a sandy bank further ahead.

Returning along the same route we added blackbird, robin and lesser black-backed gulls to our list and enjoyed another calling and sighting of the snipe.

Margaret Harrison