Unsettled Skies

Thursday 16th of October

I'm not sure whether regular readers have noticed a change in picture quality recently. I have a new spare camera and have now been using it over a week.

It's a Canon Powershot SX510HS. 

I got it because it is now a discontinued item and is being sold off cheaply.

The pros are brilliant close up quality.

At 30 x 15 magnification it can still pick out distant objects.

It can still take a good picture of the moon, and is much lighter to carry.

The cons are, it doesn't have a viewfinder only an LCD screen.

After yesterday mornings rain it cleared up enough for a walk round Blairmount pond.

Here are some pictures taken from my garden and round the pond.

View towards Cairnsmore of Fleet

Crows

Another view towards Cairnsmore of Fleet

Lots of birds around.

Interesting clouds overhead.

Clouds gathering to the west

View to the Cree from Doonhill Woods

Now a number of waterfowl on Blairmount Pond

Autumn's fall in Doonhill Woods

The changing clouds over Cairnsmore finished my wee walk.  

  

Cygnet update, Pond Skaters and the River Bladnoch August 2014

Over on Blairmount Pond all six cygnets seem in fine fettle

Their size is rapidly increasing. I make it that they're now two and a half months old.

They should be with us till December then.

The Creebridge heron still looks good too.

So today Thursday 21st of August I took a walk up the river Bladnoch from the distillery.

Though it's up for sale it was quite busy with holidaymakers getting stocked up with the 'usquebaugh'

A spooky pair of trees caught my attention.

There's a youtube video coming up later.

Here's my accompanying information 

( There's a path goes north from the Bladnoch Distillery through a nice plantation. It runs alongside the River Bladnoch. It also has running to the opposite side of the path a sluice/lade, now mostly very slow running water. As I walked along I saw a lot of movement on the water surface, so I took this short video. As well as the pond skaters, I'm not sure, but perhaps the smaller creatures are water boatmen. This was the only video I took of them, but as I walked further up the river I came across multitudes both in the lade and in the river. Today must have been their day.
The accompanying music I downloaded from http://freemusicarchive.org/ and is an excerpt from an instrumental called 'Summer's Coming' by Dexter Britain.)

I really wanted to get close enough to take a macro shot, but after almost coming to grief I decided just to zoom in for pictures.

It was a strange sight as they seemed to be moving forward yet staying in the same place.

This was my best single shot.

These are possibly water boatmen, but I can't be sure.

While the pond skaters went at a pace I could follow, these were much more frenetic.

Here's the video clip 

Youtube

The sluice/lade almost seems stagnant at times, but there are run offs into the river.

Across the river at Linghar a man and two women were fishing. A young lad was exploring.

One of the ladies cast too far and caught her hook on my bank, but she'd worked it loose just before I got to it.

I don't know how much success they had, but not far up river is the Torhouse Trout Farm !

Below the bridge at the distillery the water level seemed quite low. This stretch is one of deep water even during dry periods.

It's quite stunningly beautiful.

Where I'm standing taking this picture is by the weir that originally fed the sluice/lade

I disturbed a mighty heron sitting in a tree here.

On the OS map at this point are the letters NTL, I'll make a guess that it means Normal Tidal Limit.

This pretty cabin seems to be in the Kirwaugh plantation.

This picture finishes this post, but it seems there's something wrong with it !!

That was a very enjoyable walk.

Wigtownshire Ramblers Newton Stewart August 2014

Saturday the 10th of August.

Wigtownshire Ramblers

I was the leader of this walk around Newton Stewart.

Though I walk regularly over sections of this route, the last time with the ramblers was in 2012.

2012 Walk.

Also on this walk was the Ayrshire Blogger. His excellent post can be seen on This Link 

My walk report will follow the pictures, the last of which will be a selection of Scoops.

From the riverside path to the old railway line.

Scoops excellent group photograph will surface later in the post.

Uphill to Barrhill Woods

The zig zag group with the meandering Cree behind

Newton Stewart from the telephone mast

Power lines 

Barbuchany Hill

Golf practice field

Bunny, ducks, swans and cygnets

Coffee break Blairmount

Doon Hill trigpoint

Old Hall drystone wall stile

View north (and observing the wall climbing)

Power lines to the Galloway Hills

Lunchtime

A felled tree makes an excellent bench

The good weather of the day puts plenty of smiles on folks faces.

Minnigaff or Monnigaff Church exploration.

Bottom right above is the McClurg headstone with the two ravens skewered to one arrow.

The story of the ravens and Robert the Bruce can be read on this Kirkcudbright Page.

Queen Mary Bridge

The tenth tee throne, hail the king.

Gate clambers

I took this to try and highlight the old beech tree behind. Nice enough picture, but Scoops picture later shows the tree better.

Onto Heron Way and along to Kirroughtree House

A heron on the weir at Creebridge

That's the end of my photographs.

Here's a selection of

Scoops

And a few more from

The Boatman

A good walk in great company with scones and tea to complete the day.
Here's my report.

Wigtownshire Ramblers Report for Saturday the 9th of August 2014.

On a bright morning with a good weather forecast, twenty eight ramblers met at the Riverside car park, Newton Stewart for the walk.
The Stranaraer contingent had started the day with the enjoyable spectacle of  porpoises playing in the harbour.
We started the walk by by following the riverside path south, and under the A75 bypass. On reaching the sheep pens, the A714 was carefully crossed and a climb over an old metal gate gave us access to the fields below Barrhill Woods.
After assembling on the old railway line, the leader gave walkers the choice of a straight up, steep slope, or a zig zag less severe route. The split was roughly fifty fifty.
Occasional short stops afforded wonderful views over the meandering Cree and estuary.
Passing through a gate, the mobile phone mast above Barrhill was now reached.
Here we took a moment to enjoy the view over Newton Stewart and to identify the Minnigaff Hills.
We now descended north west before another short climb took us up Barbuchany Hill. Another short break gave us a chance to identify more landmarks.
A gate at the bottom of the hill brought us out onto the Moor Park of Barr road where almost immediately the A75 was carefully crossed.
Walking single file along the Barnkirk Road brought us to the golf practice range from where we joined the path round Blairmount pond. On reaching the decking walkway we were treated to lots of ducks, but wondered at the absence of the swans and cygnets that were known to be in residence.
A little further along we were delighted to see them on the banking next to the new 3G sports pitch. Taking advantage of the new table and benches we now took a short tea/coffee break.
After the break, a network of paths took us through the woods up to the trig point on the summit of Doon hill.
We then walked along Corsbie road until we overlooked Douglas Ewart High School. Here we took to the fields above Old Hall farm. Sturdy and well maintained drystone walls and stiles brought us to the track down to Duncree. Here we crossed the old coach road which originally went from Old Hall Farm to House O' Hill.
More panoramic views of the Galloway hills were enjoyed.
Most of the wild flower colour today was provided by invasive species. Brightly flowering Balsam and Bindweed were in profusion.
Douglas Terrace and King Street led us to the track down to the river and after crossing the King George V and Queen Mary suspension bridge, we lunched on the banks of the Cree.
After lunch we meandered our way through Monnigaff Parish Church. Among the points of interest were the 900 year old Yew tree, the listed Heron memorial and the Robert the Bruce story behind the headstone depicting an arrow piercing two ravens.
After the church we crossed the Queen Mary bridge where a successful pebble drop into the wishing well was said to grant that wish.
Bower Drive led us to the Old Edinburgh Road where we entered Bower Wood. An uphill path through the dappled sunlight of the forest led us to Beech Wood where we surprised a mottled fallow deer who studied us before deciding we might not be friendly.
A path now led us onto the top end of the golf course and the tenth tee. Here we could see much of the route we'd already walked. We moved on when a pair of golfers needed to tee off. A climb over a padlocked gate now took us into the fields that were once the old golf course, heading in a southerly direction we were afforded views of Wigtown Bay. After studying a square pillar like section in a dry stone wall, our dry stone wall specialist decided it was probably the original main entrance into the Kirroughtree estate. A gate now took us onto the tarmac of Heron Way and the road to Kirroughtree House. On reaching the house our walk leader read out some of it's illustrious history and it's Robert Burns connections.
Passing the new log cabins of the Conifers Leisure Park led us into Minnigaff where the riverside walk led us back to the Sparling Bridge and the walk finish.
Tea, coffee, a variety of scones and other delicacies at the Belted Galloway completed a very enjoyable day.      
The next walk, on Saturday the 16th of August is an 8.5 mile circular across the South Rhins. A barbecue at Ardwell will follow the walk.  Meet for car sharing at the Riverside, Newton Stewart, 9.00am or the Breastworks Car Park, Stranraer at 9.30am. The walk starts at the Ardwell Car Park (NX 110 454) at 10am.
If going straight to the start please phone walk leader 01776 860315. New members are always welcome.