My Blog

Category: Wildlife

  • Widdershins

    On Saturday we continued on our mini project of walking the Loch Leven Heritage trail one metre at a time, this hejira was from Vane Farm to East Brackley viewpoint and pavilion.  Along this whole route there are many benches, most carved with local lore set in rhyme.  One of my favourites, which I am…

  • Levening

    We broke the rules yesterday and walked along a new (to us) section of the Loch Leven path.   So now I am busy looking at maps and local history websites to find the stories behind the places we saw.   We walked from Loch Leven’s Larder (café is fine, staff lovely, but the retail side…

  • Aloha

    Yesterday we finally found the new RSPB site near Alloa.    We were very careful, it’s clearly a work in progress, which would explain why there is precious little signage.  The winter afternoon colours were gorgeous and from the site we could see landmarks of east Central  Scotland: Alloa spires, Clackmannan Tower, Longannet chimney, the…

  • Chasing sunlight

    Out for a hill climb yesterday, arrangements have been somewhat fluid, to say the least, of late, but we made the most of a beautifully clear day to ascend Vane Hill and sup coffee thereon.  At a conservative estimate it was blowing in gusts of 40 mph at the top, my drink went from boiling…

  • Rallentando

    And so to the diminuendo of the year, not gainsaying the big hoorah of Christmas but the main reason for a yuletide blowout is as an antidote to the nigh full-on crepuscular turn of events. when raising the blinds for a mere 7 hours hardly seems worth it. It was with this frankly negative attitude…

  • Serendippity doo dah

    I suspect many people went out for a walk this weekend just to reassure themselves about many things.  I know we did.  The path from Vane Farm to Ballingry is short but intense.  Tackled as it was in thick cloud, we didn’t expect to see much from the top at all but we could view…

  • Dei’l tak’ the hindmost

    Continuing on the ILFI theme we went to the Walled Garden for lunch and then for a long walk in the Devilla Forest.  As with the rest of the northern hemisphere just now, the autumn colours are stunning.  Wildlife seen included roe deer, a teeny tiny frog, Canada Goose, Great Crested Grebe, Mallard, Pheasant, Pink…

  • Art + Birds

    This week I have been fortunate to see some new exhibitions, which have reminded me of some other favourites.  In Stirling at the Smith Art Gallery and Museum I found the most gorgeous watercolours by Darren Woodhead, his commissions from his tenure as artist in residence with the IFLI are truly epic depictions of the…

  • National Poetry Day

    Rosemary and I exchanged poems yesterday, both by Norman MacCaig. Blue tit on a string of peanuts A cubic inch of some stars weighs a hundred tons – Blue tit, who could measure the power of your tiny spark of energy?  Your hair-thin legs (one north-east, one due west) support a scrap of volcano, four…

  • Helical

    A glorious early autumn day, after a walk on Aberdour beach we called in by the Kelpies, got the only free car park space (thank you to Grandma Lil, who exerts her influence from upstairs at times like these). Despite the pylons and power lines, there are an infinite number of photo opportunities, although it…