Moorland Feeding Station June 2012

  Nearing 1000 bird ringed at the Moorland feeeding station, I have been amazed at the number and variety of avian visitors to the site all year round. Here are a few recent visitors:

 Juvenile Lesser Redpoll

 Juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker

 Adult male Lesser Redpoll

 Juvenile Robin

 Willow Warbler

 Nuthatch

 Spotted Flycatcher

Treecreeper

Ironically, Siskins are the comest bird at the feedign station and that is one species I have no photographs of.

June 14th Checking moorland nest boxes

would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has helped with the moorland nest boxes over the last three years, from Mac Hotson who helped site the boxes, to the Cubs, Scouts, Guides, Brownies, Explorer Scouts and Langholm Academy students and Mr Wilson for building boxes for us, Explorer scouts and guides whio helped erect the boxes, Buccleuch Estates for donating wood and all the volunteers who help monitor the boxe and ring the young birds.. this year alone you have helped provide nest sites for five pairs of Pied flycatchers, our first redstart nest and lots and lots of blue tits and great tits.. thank you!!!!!!!!!

today volunteers from Langholm Academy helped ring some blue tit, great tit and redstart pulli:

 ah..

June 13th Langholm Primary 'minis' after school group

Stream dipping at speed! Only an hour to get up onto the moor and explore the life of the Tarras ditches and puddles.. but we made it and found some great things along the way...

Palmate newt, diving beetles, pond skaters and tadpoles were exciting finds for the group.

 Moorland Feeding Station June 12th

The bird feeding station on the moor is very busy even now, in June. Many adult birds are visiting to fuel up themselves in between collecting catterpillars for their young. Also seeing growing numbers of juvenile birds including Redpoll, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Greenfinch, Coal Tit, Chaffinch, Robin and big numbers of Siskin.

 Over the last year or so we've been placing sheets of corrugated wire on the moor to facilitate reptile watching. It has taken a few months for creatures to begin to use them. We've seen plenty of insects and voles and shrews under the reptile refuges but this week we saw our first reptile, a slow worm! Fingers crossed we get adders soon.

 Also this week, I've seen my first golden ringed dragonfly of the season, quite difficult to see against this cryptic background.

Also this week, I watched a golden ringed dragonfly emerging from its exuvia, an amazing sight.

Moorland Musical May 26th

Saturday evening of the walking festival saw the premiere of the Moorland Musical. This photo shows Bryony and Katrina rehearsing the diversionary food puppet show. The performance was filmed and can be seen on our facebook page www.facebook.com (Making the most of Moorlands).

This photo shows the cast and crew.. huge thanks to Aly, Katrina, Beth, Bryony, Judith, Chris, Rory Henry and Nicky.

Langholm Walking Festival 2012

Wildlife Walk

We couldn't have asked for better weather (blue skies, sunshine and a slight breeze) for our moorland walk. The group started at the Buccleuch Centre in Langholm and climbed Whita Hill, using every excuse to stop and look at flowers, butterflies and birds  a good excuse to catch our breath in the heat of the day. We were met by Dr Aly McCluskie at the Castle Craigs, who talked to the group about Hen Harriers, diversionary feeding and the Langholm Moor Demonstration Project.

The breeze on the top of  Whita felt more of a gale, albeit a warm one, so the group made their way down the far side of Whita through the bible fields towards Rashiel. We were lucky enough to get very good sightings of several waders, including Lapwing and Curlew, which have settled on the ground recently cut and re-seeded as part of the restoration work on the moor. On arrival at Rashiel the group got the opportunity to talk to Head Gamekeeper Simon Lester about the moorland management.

We were also lucky enough to bump into Raptor experts Malcolm Henderson and Caroline Blackie who invited the group to join them for the ringing of a brood of barn owls.

In between processing the young barn owls are placed safely out of the way of potentially trampling feet, they sit surprisingly calmly and watch the proceedings.

Caroline and Malcolm are both very experienced with working with raptors and hold relevant permits and licences for ringing barn owls.

The group watched as the young barn owls were weighed, aged (this can be done down to the day) and sexed and even got to have their photo taken holding a chick.

 As a ringer, I was invited to ring a couple of the barn owl chicks.. many thanks Malcolm and Caroline!

 After the excitement of the barn owl ringing, the group settled down to have lunch by the river, some making the most of the limited shade.

 Whilst enjoying lunch, we discovered this impressive looking Poplar Hawk moth, which was amazingly well camouflaged on a twig.

 A scramble over a wobbly stile and bouncy suspension bridge followed by a trundle back to the Buccleuch Centre for tea and cake concluded our fabulous walk.