Today we took a trip up to Dumfries, just over the border into Scotland. We took a slow drive and stopped off at the WWT reserve of Caerlaverock. This is a reserve on the salt marsh of the sea and estuary, and is really a Winter destination due to large numbers of Swans and Geese that are based here then, however we thought it would be worth a wander just to see what was about.
As soon as we arrived, we spotted an Osprey with a flat fish in its talons, just by the car park, at this point my camera was in the cars boot and so no photos. Try as we might during our three hour visit, we never saw the Osprey again, but that didn’t diminish the joy of seeing it !
Most of the grassland and ponds were empty with lots of Swallows and House Martins flying and still feeding nests, presumably on their second or third brood by now. There were the odd Chiffchaffs flitting about, a few Canadian Geese, Moorhens and Grey Herons on the main reserve, and some Little Egrets on the marshes in the distance. That was about it for birds, but we did manage to spot a pair of young Roe Deer in the grass and a large Hare.
We called it a day at the reserve and headed off to our B and B, this was an old Edwardian building with large gardens, and so once unpacked we took a quick wander around the garden. There was a family of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers on the feeders, the usual assortment of Tits, but most excitingly on the lawn were half a dozen Spotted Flycatchers, flying low and quick and feeding on the flies and Wasps that were coming off the lawn. Fanatastic to watch this normally scarce bird up close and personal, and we left for a fish supper on the harbour front smiling. We ate our fish and chips watching the Redshanks and Grey Herons feeding on the mudflats. All in all not a bad day !
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