Trip reports

A DAY OUT WITH BOBBY SMITH

John Dewhurst

Thursday, 30 June 2011

We met up with Bobby at Castle Loch at Lochmaben. He was accompanied by his friend Pat, another very experienced ornithologist who lives in Cheshire but frequently visits Dumfriesshire. We stopped at two points on the western shore of Castle Loch. At the first, a reed warbler was singing his heart out in a clump of reeds. We must have been within feet of him but could we see him? No! Tony Goadby had recently acquired a pair of high tech hearing aids and was thrilled to bits to be able to hear a reed warbler's song clearly for the first time for years. At the second stop we walked out onto a fisherman's jetty and surveyed numerous swans cruising on the loch. The more observant amongst us reported a great crested grebe but I will have to take their word for that! Bobby drew our attention to the song of a garden warbler and promised that when we heard a blackcap we would note the difference. Sadly we did not get to hear a blackcap in full voice. My perplexity remains!

From Castle Loch we had a short drive to the west, to a small stream which I think may have been the Marlake Burn. However whatever the name Bobby knew where a kingfisher was nesting. We stood back at a discreet distance from the nest site to see if the kingfisher would reveal itself. Sadly it didn't.

We now drove to Applegarthtown following Bobby who took us on a magical mystery tour of the minor roads between Lochmaben and Lockerbie. To be fair to Bobby he took us this circuitous route to avoid a very rough section of road. Safely arrived at Applegarthtown Wildlife Sanctuary it was time to tuck into our packed lunches and, as we did so, the sun broke through the clouds and it was a real pleasure to feel warmth after such a long period of cold weather in May. One could not say it was a peaceful lunch place as the most conspicuous residents of the sanctuary lochan were black-headed gulls, and their raucous cries were incessant.

After lunch, Bobby took us to see the sand martin bank on the far side of the lochan. The bank comprises a concrete wall with numerous holes drilled into it, which sand martins use for nesting. Any human movement leads to the martins lying low but Bobby got us to stay still and very soon the martins were flying in and out of the holes with bewildering rapidity. A narrow covered passageway gives access to the rear of the nesting holes. While Bobby showed us nests with eggs in, Pat took out nestlings and showed us how they were ringed - tiny birds, tiny rings.

On leaving the sanctuary, we called in at Bobby's house and then headed north on the old A74 which runs parallel to the A74(M). Three miles north of Johnstonebridge we turned left onto a lane which took us to Lochwood Wood and parked up. We now had a pleasant stroll beneath the magnificent ancient trees, some of which were amazingly contorted. Late afternoon was perhaps not the best time to hear the birds singing but Pat had a plan! He had with him a portable CD player and a disc of birdsong. He played the distinctive call of a green woodpecker and very soon we were hearing the real 'yaffle' from a male bird, very cross that another 'male' was on his territory! We had a few brief glimpses of the bird flying above the leaf canopy but then, for a brief spell, it settled on a dead tree and we had a good view, though it has to be said that because of the bright light we did not see his glorious colours to good effect. Pat tried a similar trick with redstart song but this time it did not work.

It was now time to bid our farewells and thank Bobby and Pat for a most interesting and enjoyable day.

Those present from the local group were: Cynthia Douglas, Susan McKellar, Joyce Simpson, Tony Goadby, David Kay, Brian Nolan and myself.

John Dewhurst