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.

A few pictures from around Newton Stewart

Pictures from a couple of walks around the town's periphery.

A colourful welcome

Towards Barrhill Farm

Small Toirtoiseshell

Dragonfly 

Same dragonfly different angle

The best picture

(I can't find what name it goes by)
Bob from Blue Sky Scotland tells me it's a Ruddy Darter. Having done a Google image search I must concur.

The same tortoiseshell

Newton Stewart view

Cree estuary view

A little way behind sat his harem

Ducks on Blairmout

Of the remaining six cygnets, five seem to be doing well. I fear for the wee fella !

Field bindweed

Monnigaff old parish church

Interesting wall plaque

I wonder who PM was ?

View to Drigmorn and Millfore

The Penkiln Burn

Bower Drive bird feeders

A popular dining area

View towards Wigtown Bay from Newton Stewart old golf fairways

an inland Oystercatcher

A drystone wall mystery

Zoom in to Wigtown Bay

Kirroughtree House

Last picture of the day

An evening stroll

An evening walk.

I took a little walk Tuesday evening, here's a few of the pictures I took.

Over on Blairmount, I can't identify this shy bird. Anyone ?
Well, thanks to Inky Marie, That Cat, Shorty, The Milkmaid and A Nother who have all told me that these are juvenile moorhens. I can't argue with any of these knowledgeable people.
(I wonder if anyone else like myself failed to spot the second chick in this picture)

Sad news. I'd noticed in the morning there were only six cygnets. Back in the evening, there's still only six.

There are foxes around. 

Cat on St Couan's Road

Magpie on pylon

The Challoch Burn

I've seen this scene above people's mantelpieces.

I love this picture.

Ayrshire perhaps ?
I am reliably informed by the 'Milkmaid' that this is a herd of Montbéliarde
Her superior knowledge is unquestionable. 

Sun going down on by Barnkirk Sub Station. A pleasant little outing.

It's Wednesday morning now and pouring rain.

Cygnus update and other stuff. July 2014

I've been taking a few short walks this week.

Here's a few of the pictures I've taken.

Over on Blairmount Pond  the cygnet's are doing fine.

The ducks get short shrift from the swan parents if they get too close.

A chaffinch poses for a picture.

Flowers bloom in the gardens by the memorial to Randolph,9th Earl of Galloway.

A young family by the riverside.

This one goes walkabout.

Liz Niven poetry

summer cree

river traffic buzzes

mayfly, dragonfly, dipper

ripple-arc surfaces

swallows water-pattern weave

Japanese Knotweed

kimonos the earth

spring cree

Galloway greens again

the river silvered with

white eggs, sharp scent of cucumber

sweet vernal grass

vanillas air

hope buds like catkins

The riverside.

A wren at the Wood of Cree.

The Otter Pool

(That looks like a heron at the far end)

A long zoom gets the picture.

Too late to photograph the otter that put in a fleeting appearance.

A quiet pool by the burn at the Wood of Cree car park.

Zoomed in and enhanced, the Cumbrian Mountains from Baldoon.

Another full zoom towards Workington and Whitehaven.

Yacht sails perhaps (they were moving around), strange how they appear to be floating above the shimmer.

Mochrum Loch.

The Old Place of Mochrum built in 1368.

Home until her death in 2005 of Miss Flora Stuart. president of the Belted Galloway Cattle Society. 

Penningham Forest.

Loch Eldrig 

Bumble bee on a thistle.

More of Loch Eldrig

A Common Blue butterfly.

A thrush in the forest.

Wednesday night's moon.