Dragonflies and Damselflies at Drumlanrig

 One of the highlights of our recent trip to Dumfries and Galloway was Coldstream Loch in the grounds of Drumlanrig Castle. 

Literally hundreds of damselflies and a few dragonflies were flying around! 

Large Red Dragonflies were mating with blue dragonflies busy in the background

Azure Dragonflies were mating

A few Four Spotted Chasers were chasing each other, defending their territories, though they did stop for long enough for Crafty Green Boyfriend to take their photos

There were also newts in the loch, you'll see two of them in the photo below if you look carefully 

As well as the Loch, the estate has some lovely woodland walks 

and open landscapes too

A lovely place to visit.

Caerlaverock

On our second day of our recent trip to Dumfries and Galloway, we visited Caerlaverock, a wonderful WWT (Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust) reserve. 

 

There are lots of features here that both help wildlife and enable visitors to enjoy the creatures, such as an area of bird feeders, where we saw this Tree Sparrow 

several bug hotels, where we saw several species including this Ruby Tailed Wasp (zoom in for a closer look!)

Of course the reserve is best known for its wetland areas, where we saw these Little Egrets

and this Mute Swan family 

We walked along the mown path that leads through the beautiful wildflower meadows

where we saw Blue Tailed Damselflies 

Azure Damselflies 

Emerald Damselflies 

Banded Demoiseselles

 Meadow Brown Butterflies 

Small Skipper Butterflies 

 Common Blue Butterflies 

Twin lobed Deer flies (we saw lots of these, didn't know what they were at the time, had them crawling over our hands with no ill effect but on looking them up when we got home we found that they can give a horrible bite!)

A snipe fly (Rhagio scolopaceus)

In the visitor centre, there was an exhibition of beautiful felted art by artist and historian Sue Hughes of  Old Toll House Crafts, and Crafty Green Boyfriend bought me this necklace. The exhibition runs until 17 June.

Wood of Cree

We just returned from a lovely few days in Dumfries and Galloway. One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to the wonderful RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) Reserve at Wood of Cree, which we have visited a couple of times in the past. This woodland is the largest ancient woodland in southern Scotland and is a haven for wildlife, as well as offering much needed shade on an overly hot day. 

The river was running low, which was particularly noticeable at the small waterfalls

Walking beyond the shady woodland, you come into an area of beautiful wooded pasture. 

 

The reserve is wonderful for wildlife. Here are some of the highlights: 

Nesting Common redstarts (these birds are not common at all these days, I've very rarely seen them and this was our best ever view!).

Female Azure Damselfly

Golden Ringed Dragonfly 

Large Red Damselfly 

Footballer Hoverfly, aka Sun Fly (Helophilus pendulus)

Chimney Sweeper Moth 

Red Legged Shieldbug (adult)

Red Legged Shieldbug (final instar nymph)

Returned from Holiday!

We've just had a lovely holiday in Dumfries and Galloway, one of our favourite places for holidays! The sun shone all the time and the temperature was, to be honest, mostly way too warm (we desperately need some rain, soon). Luckily, there are plenty of woodlands in the area, offering shade for enjoyable walks. 

We stayed in our usual favourite country house hotel

 which sits alongside the River Nith

where Common Sandpipers seem to be nesting. Pipistrelle bats are also seen in the evenings and we saw a Red Kite fly over the hotel one day as we sat at breakfast. 

Cattle are kept in the surrounding farm fields.

I'll blog more about our holiday over the next few days. 

Cataracts

The now dangerous sun-
light glares my misted eyes.

Everything is soft focus
even the deluge
threatening to destroy us.

Our way of life
fades to sepia
like an ageing photo
at the bottom
of a memory box.

Darkness falls.

A broken moon rises
above the neon city.

The aura round the street lights
has the same garish beauty
as an oil-slick rainbow.

 

Previously published in Kalanopia. 

(I had cataract surgery on my right eye a few years ago and am now on the waiting list for the same surgery on my left eye).