Bog Myrtle & Peat

A note in brief to record the arrival of the first proper skeins of pink-footed geese now coming into Galloway from the North. I’ve heard of birds coming down for the last few weeks, but I actually saw my first skeins while waiting in the butts high up on the North face of Benrinnes above the Spey on… Continue reading

Having trailed my interest in cattle a few days ago, I’m looking forward to making a start on a year-long college course at the SRUC’s barony campus near Dumfries on Monday. Having made some in-depth enquiries round and about the area, I’ve managed to home in on some heifer calves I hope to get hold of later… Continue reading

Worth a very quick mention in brief that I had an excellent day’s shooting at Wet Sleddale moor near Shap on Wednesday as a guest of Newtonrigg College. It turned out to be an excellent sunlit autumn day, with clear views right over to the Pennines and grouse making the best of a difficult North wind.… Continue reading

Blaeberry featured strongly over the weekend for two reasons. 1 – While taking a brisk walk around the woods above my house, I found what is unquestionably a three inch long section of pine marten shit. It was made up almost entirely of blaeberry seeds and skins, and the fall of cold rain on Saturday morning… Continue reading

For a split second yesterday afternoon, I came across a young female hen harrier. Set against the blue haze of Corserine, the bright silhouette worked slowly downwind over the reddening rushes and vanished behind the trees. After a phenomenal winter for harriers on the Chayne last year, this was the first bird I’ve found on the hill since… Continue reading

Worth mentioning that in a fit of nostalgia for my days in South Africa, I made up a batch of droewors sausages last night using the haunch from one of August’s roebucks. The smell of malt vinegar, venison, ground coriander and black pepper has taken me on a fantastic journey down memory lane to “Bosveldfees… Continue reading

Given that the last week has been devoted to various other projects, it has been a while since I’ve been able to get up and have a wander on the Chayne. I could see from the low ground that the grass is changing colour and that there are many more browns and reds in the… Continue reading

Part of the explanation for the recent downturn in this blog’s output is a rising interest in livestock. I have been fairly reticent about my plans for the past few months, but given that they seem to be coming to a head faster than I had anticipated, it is worth noting in brief at this point… Continue reading

While I’ve been caught up in the throes of more shooting, stalking and Heather Trust advisory visits, autumn has suddenly come looming into the foreground. It’s cold at night, and the thick dew at first light has a deep, smarting chill to it. The stove has been burning, and the house is remembering the smell of… Continue reading

Interesting to note in brief that the last few days have revealed a number of emperor moth caterpillars at a range of ages and stages in Galloway and elsewhere. The caterpillars look extraordinary, so it’s a surprise to find just how well they are camouflaged against a range of moorland undergrowth. You would think that… Continue reading