While we were in Dumfries and Galloway, we discovered Loch Ettrick, a loch we'd never seen before but which proves to be very popular in the summer!
We had a wee wander round the loch shore, but the path soon became too overgrown and we gave up. We were interested to find this abandoned hut, where at least two pairs of Swallows were nesting
We then went for a walk in part of the Ae Forest. We had hoped that it would be quite shady (the weather was still ridiculously hot) but it turned out to be quite an exposed forest road. We were delighted to find this tree, which was being used as a nest site by Great Spotted Woodpeckers
One of the young woodpeckers was hidden in the grass, you may be able to see it in the photo below
We turned back after taking this photo, to avoid disturbing the birds.
We saw more Small Skipper Butterflies
a Bog Hoverfly (Sericomyia silentis)
and a pool full of toad tadpoles - look carefully at the black specks in the photo below!
3 comments:
I do admire you in distinguishing a toad tadpole from a frog tadpole.
Lovely!
Our previous house was called …Woodpeckers! I remember the day that we viewed the house, in 2001. Two Great Spotted Woodpeckers were in the garden. The house actually had a different name at that point…we didn’t like the name and so we changed it...Woodpeckers seemed apt! We also had the Green Woodpecker frequently visiting but we never saw the Lesser Spotted. We still have many photos and it was a real treat when the adults brought the young with them to feed in the garden.
Lovely to see the Small Skippers and Bog Hoverfly! We still have very few butterflies in the garden and yet when I lived in this area as a child, the butterflies, grasshoppers, birds and bees were many in numbers.
Hi Thelma, the toad tadpoles are very black in colour, the frog tadpoles are more brown. My partner taught me the difference!
Hi Sal, Woodpeckers is a lovely name for a house! How lovely to get Green Woodpeckers in your garden, I've always found them very elusive. I've never seen a Lesser Spotted, they aren't found in Scotland as far as I know. Yes, I've seen very few butterflies this year or any pollinating insects
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