This article appeared in the Winter 2005
edition of the Newsletter as part of the series on local gardens.
No images are available.
Apart from a glorious view to Moffat Water Valley, we have
the advantage of being a free "MacDonalds" for the
local birds, who give us endless pleasure.
Rather like living in an aviary ! It is not only birds that
we see as we have a couple of resident short-tailed voles who
take advantage of the bird food and for a time we had a family
of long-tailed mice as well. Before "rabbit proofing"
the garden we had a fax on the lawn and since which time although
we have not seen one they still kindly leave their "droppings",
so they must jump the fence, not a problem for them. Also, again
before fencing, we had a semi-resident hedgehog but sadly no
longer and once a wonderful view of a stoat on the front lawn.
Bats can usually be seen in the evenings though their roosting
area is not known. There is usually a frog and a toad somewhere
around, although we have no water, and of course butterflies,
moths and bees.
Our bird sightings, either in the garden or the field behind
us, totals 54 species over nearly 5 years. The regular visitors
or residents in some cases, are :
chaffinches, robins, siskins, greenfinches, blackbirds, various
tits, starlings, dunnocks, house sparrows, house martins, swifts,swallows,
collared doves, buzzards, herons, rooks, crows.
Less frequent, but always a pleasure, are nuthatches, great-spotted
woodpeckers, goldcrests, bramb!ing, jay, curlew, kestrel and
sparrowhawk. The latter swoops in very low and fast and does
frequently find himself a meal. On one occasion, I had "eye
to eye" contact with him for around 30 seconds from an
upstairs window; a quite remarkable experience, whilst he sat
on a flower tub below. It was almost as though he had been tamed
and used to people. We had two out of four nesting-boxes used
and sacks, or so it seems, of food consumed. Most demanding
customers are our pheasants. We are down to one cock and a hen,
who clearly has not laid this year or last. The cock is now
4 or 5 years old and was one of an original group of around
a dozen. They turn up
when it suits them and expect instant response and have on occasions
tapped on the window! Their feeding time is always welcomed
by the chaffinches, often in excess of 20, who fly in and help
!
All very worthwhile and fascinating.
Birds seen in the garden or Bridgend Park from Glenwharrie,
Moffat, since 2001
Blackbird, Blue Tit, Brambling, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Chaffinch,
Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Carrion Crow, Curlew, Dunnock, Fieldfare,
Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Greenfinch,
Grey Heron, Grey Partridge, Grey Wagtail, House Sparrow, House
Martin, Jackdaw, Jay, Kestrel, Lapwing, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie,
Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Mute Swan, Nuthatch, Oystercatcher,
Pheasant, Pied Flycatcher, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Geese,
Redwing, Robin, Rook, Siskin, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Spotted
Flycatcher, Starling, Swallow, Swift, Treecreeper, Willow Warbler,
Wood Pigeon, Wren.
Harris Hawk (USA) - an escapee from the Lone Pine, Beattock.
Martin Young, Glenwharrie, Beattock Road,
Moffat.
