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Beetle’s About
These past few mild days have brought the heather beetles back out of hibernation, and we’ve been receiving reports about beetles “on the move” at the Heather Trust. I made a point of checking the Chayne for beetles two days ago, focusing my finger-tip search on the heather which was so badly damaged during the… Continue reading
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Close Encounter
Well worth posting this picture of a young blackcock which wandered into sight this morning after three hours of extensive searching through the rough ground of Cairnsmore of Fleet. More detail will follow about the morning’s walk, but there was a certain irony to the casual, gum-chewing attitude of this bird which wandered past the… Continue reading
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South African Memories
Over the past few days, I’ve been putting a lot of thought into my time in South Africa. It is almost precisely ten years to the day since I stepped off the aeroplane in Johannesburg as a thoroughly naïve eighteen year old, little knowing that I was embarking on one of the steepest learning curves… Continue reading
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Perthshire Counting
It was a cracking day to walk the hills yesterday, counting grouse on a moor near Ballintuim where blackgame are often found in greater numbers than red grouse. After a soggy morning on some rough ground where the dogs kicked up the odd blackcock, we headed further out onto the hill and began to sweep… Continue reading
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Manx Birds
Having just returned from two days counting grouse and exploring the hills of the Isle of Man, it is not easy to be brief. This is certainly a subject that warrants further coverage in due course, but suffice it to say for now that the distant shape of the Island which always lurks on the… Continue reading
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Open Hills
Interesting to be sent this photograph by a friend which was taken from Seton Gordon’s 1938 book Wild Birds in Britain – The picture appears to have been taken on Deeside where the birds today remain in some considerable quantity, but while the blackcock themselves are pretty stirring, more notable is the countryside they are… Continue reading
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First Wheatears, Last Doe
The return of the wheatears is one of the most significant dates of the year, and with the exception of 2013, it takes place with surprising regularity. When the snow was down last winter, the little birds didn’t return until the 14th April, whereas they usually would have been back between the 25th and the… Continue reading
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Clints o’ the Spout
It was an unexpected pleasure to be able to help with the BTO’s breeding peregrine survey on Friday when I headed up for a walk over the Door and up to the Clints o’ the Spout on Cairnsmore of Fleet. I’ve posted before about Cairnsmore of Fleet, but it was only on Friday when… Continue reading
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Kids in the Hills
Just going through some pictures and thought it was worth posting this one of a tiny goat kid which I met on the back of Meikle Multaggart yesterday while helping out with the BTO’s peregrine survey – more on this to come… Continue reading
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The Evil Gamekeeper
I wonder if I should be flattered to be featured by name in a recent guardian blog on adders? Nicholas Milton’s article made for moderately interesting reading, but went somewhat astray when it described me as a “gamekeeper”. Milton explained (with a scarcely concealed roll of the eyes) that in highlighting the fact that buzzards… Continue reading
About
“Shout on, Morgan. You’ll be nothing tomorrow”
Swn y galon fach yn torri, 1952
Also at: https://andtheyellowale.substack.com
Bog Myrtle & Peat 