We also visited
Ken Dee RSPB Nature Reserve while we were over in Dumfries. This is a lovely wetland area with a nice nature trail running around it
It has a couple of bird hides, which offer good views over the water (we saw an osprey!) and also of the bird feeders where we saw lots of birds including this nuthatch (thanks Crafty Green Boyfriend for this photo)
One of the bird hides is used as a roost by the local bats.
As we sat looking out from the hide we could hear all the bats rattling around between the inner wall and the outer wall! (On the last night of the trip we got an even closer encounter with a bat as a pipistrelle bat flew into our bedroom at 5am and we had to gently encourage it to leave the room, which took quite a while!).
I love hearing about your expedition, Juliet, and close wildlife encounters of the bat kind! Sadly I haven't been to Ken Dee, but we spent a happy morning down river a little at Threave. We failed to see Red Squirrels in the hide in the NTS gardens there, and the castle was out of bounds due to a Peregrine nest, but we much enjoyed watching the Ospreys. The Puffin cupcakes (in aid of a St Kilda project) in the Threave Gardens cafe were terrific! What a lovely part of the world it is.
ReplyDeleteNever had a chance to visit this place, mind you Dee Estuary in Kirkcudbright is practically a reserve in its own right...curlew, redshank, wigeon and common scoter by the hundreds...
ReplyDeleteLovely pictures again.
ReplyDeleteYou had some great days out and about.
All the best Jan
Hi Caroline, we've never been to Threave, must put that on our list for the next trip to that part of the world!
ReplyDeleteSimon - yes the Dee Estuary is pretty impressive, though we missed the common scoters, sadly, I've never had a good view of those birds
Hello, looks like a pretty place. I like the cute Nuthatch! Happy Wednesday, enjoy your day!
ReplyDeleteLovely wetlands. When I lived in Michigan, we had a problem of bats coming down the chimney and then having to try to encourage them to exit the house, which wasn't easy.
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