Out on the patch

Since moving back to Scotland in 2022 and to a much more rural location my interest in the birds and wildlife in general all around us has increased dramatically such that, I now consider I have a "patch", an area that is within reasonable walking distance that also has lots of variable of habitat and surroundings.

For example, our mailbox is one mile down a lane which has a burn with reed beds, mixed woodland, fields and ponds. Wonderful.

A little bit further afield, heading for town there are two larger burns, another pond, a golf course fields and mixed woodland, much of the land is owned by the farmer whose land we live on so wandering around on it is no trouble, the right to roam still applies in Scotland anyway but there are those (newer) landowners who have brought the "get orft moi land" syndrome with them.

So, I thought I could share my explorations and photos here, yet again I've been trying to work through the backlog and get some of it sorted, edited or deleted, my drives are beginning to struggle

I'm going to stick to 2024 for now and if I stumble upon something interesting beyond that I'll slip it in as I go along. 

Well, looks like I didn't go far from home in January! Very few photos outside of my regular walks and garden birds.

This shot in January is of the gulls returning from .......... whence they went!

Every morning they would fly due South from up the glens somewhere, or further afield and every evening, fly back due north again.......... hundreds of them and I've never found out why or where to and from   I used the term gulls because they seem to be mixed!

There's a field just across the farmyard that offers a fairly level and clean walk past a rough moorland area of gorse and local trees and shrubs. The farmer's wife has been planting Scots Pines, for example.

So the Pheasant was out strolling with his harem when I walked over there in February.The female Pheasant are much more wary and disappear as soon as they see or hear us so it's always nice to catch a glimpse of them.

We are very lucky to have a pair of Hen Harriers somewhere in the vicinity, I've seen both at different times working across the field behind us but I never have a blooming camera when they appear!!!!

So .....

A very long distance of the female ............. I'm pretty certain.

The white patch above the tail feathers clinched it for me but I'm happy to be corrected as ever

That's it for them, so far and that was back in February, I live in hope.

There are lots of Buzzards around here and Red Kites, which seem to be growing in numbers recently and they often pass over the house which is wonderful.

They also tend to sit in the surrounding trees and on fence posts but still very shy.

Red Kite on the same fence as the Hen Harrier earlier.

I loved this next shot, although a long shot.

A Pheasant below the Kite! 

A Buzzard hiding in plain site in the tree down the field from us.

The field behind us can be a haven for all sorts

Roe deer grazing in the back field on January 1st 2024

So that's it for a start, January and February of this year, also shows me how few times I head out but, it was Winter right? 

I'll make sure I've edited all the shots for March before I start again, I know there are more. 

I hope you enjoy having a nose around the area.