A Few Days Away in and Around Dumfries

 We're just back from a wee trip away to Dumfries in the south west of Scotland. I'll share some of our photos over the next few days. 

We stayed in our favourite country house hotel alongside the River Nith. Almost as soon as we got there we went for a riverside walk

 

The other side of the path is lined with fields

We were delighted to see three or four Red Kites flying above the field. The photo below isn't great, but it is a Red Kite! 

Red Kites used to be incredibly common across the UK, but by the 1970s there were hardly any of them and mostly they were only found in mountainous areas of Wales. Since then they've been reintroduced in various parts of the UK, including in the Dumfries area, where now they're quite a common sight. 

As well as the Red Kites, we were delighted on that walk to see a flock of about 50 House Martins hunting for insects above the river. One evening we sat by the riverside and watched Pipistrelle Bats flying around, also hunting for insects.