10th August 2008
Welcome to our new look website. If you want to read
about the changes, go to the 'Site Info' page. Further changes
are planned for the not too distant future.
The wildlife scene has been fairly quiet lately. The family
of Canada Geese has now left the quarry, there are still occasional
sightings of an Osprey in the area. Some of our summer visitors
have already left and the others are obviously preparing to
leave soon. Another month should see the first of the winter
visitors arriving. We hope to give an update soon on how this
breeding season has gone.
9th July 2008
George Paterson saw an Osprey at the quarry again today.
Last Sunday, Iain saw nine of the released ducks there and two
Roe Deer plus quite a few small birds including a pair of Spotted
Flycatchers with five young near the bottom quarry gates.
25th June 2008
Iain visited the Quarry on Monday morning and one of
the Great Crested Grebes was back after being absent for a few
days.(Garry & John saw it at night - but apparently gone
now), one of the Cinnabar moths flew by (Iain's first sighting)
and a Kingfisher was sat on a large piece of concrete near the
duck feeding site - a good start to the day.
Jock reports that a single Redshank passed over our own reserve
on Sunday night - the only sighting this year.
There is a good colony of Sand Martins on our reserve now since
Jock cleared some of the overhanging Broom and poked a few holes
in the bank to encourage them. A proper count will be made soon.
A number of broods of Mallard on our reserve, at least four
broods, and some Moorhen chicks are on the go. A party of 20+
Long Tailed Tits were encountered round the Quarry in the large
Scots Pines on Tuesday night. Plenty of Reed Buntings and Sedge
Warblers around.
A number of people reporting Great Spotted Woodpeckers and their
young coming to nuts in their gardens. Ted Argo at Lockerbie
had 4 Red Squirrels, including 2 young last week and a Yellowhammer
thrown in for good measure.
13th June 2008
No new sightings to report but just a note to promote
three 'Dragonfly Days' on 15th, 22nd & 29th June at Earshaig.
See our 'Events' page for full details.
12th June 2008
Pair of Great-Crested Grebes seen displaying at the
quarry reserve pond.
8th June 2008
Green Woodpecker seen at our reserve today (first record
for the reserve although previously seen in the area). Three
more sightings of Cinnabar moth, two at Quarry Reserve and one
at our own. Sandmartins busy at the bank so hopefully will nest
this year.
6th June 2008
Garry was down at the Quarry Reserve on Tuesday night (3rd)
and watched an Otter playing near the new island for an hour
and there were also 27 Canada Geese present. The following afternoon
(4th) Jock was down and there were 3 Greylag Geese present.
Jock reports that all the birds breeding at Bankend Wood in
the nest boxes had been predated, possibly weasel or mice.
Last Tuesday 27th May while checking the large nest boxes produced
a record 5 pairs of Stock Doves.
On Monday 2nd June while at the Castle Loch, Lochmaben, Iain
reports seeing his first ever "Scottish" Reed Warblers,
he knew they were breeding there with several pairs but they
were easily spotted in the reeds beside one of the fishing piers.
27th May 2008
Brief sighting of a moth at our reserve on 23rd now
identified as a Cinnabar (only red moth on the wing at this
time of the year). First time recorded on the reserve.
24th May 2008
The cuckoo that kept Davey amused seems to have taken
up residence in the area as it is now being seen and photographed
regularly between our reserve and the quarry. A pair of Canada
Geese with four young on the Quarry on the 20th, often being
persecuted by one of the Swans. Four/five pairs of Canada's
seen in the vicinity.
A work-in on 23rd saw some 100 yards of pathway 'refreshed'
in the woodland area.
18th May 2008
On Saturday night Davey Colville was painting one of
the benches at the Dyke Quarry when a Cuckoo landed on one of
the telegraph poles and entertained Davey for half an hour.
Jock saw and heard the Cuckoo this morning at our Reserve.
Heather Graham and her husband watched a Hen Harrier pass over
Oakrigg Farm a couple of days ago.
16th May 2008
Osprey sighted at the Quarry on Monday 12th May, seen
again on the 15th. There at least 20 breeding pairs of Blue
Tits and 5 pairs of Great Tits on our reserve. 2 pairs of Starlings
and at least 3 pairs of Stock Doves, with good numbers of calling
Sedge Warblers, Reed Bunting and Garden Warblers.
On a visit to Bankend Wood on the 12th, Jock located good numbers
of breeding tits in the nestboxes, with 2 pairs of Redstarts
and single pairs of Pied Flycatcher and Nuthatch. If anyone
else has breeding Nuthatch in their nestbox. please let us know.
On Thursday 15th May, Iain received a phone call about a family
of ducks in Well Street, when he arrived the 6 ducklings had
been captured and when he caught the female Mallard, young Roy
Little from Drummond and Murray ran them down to the Reserve
where the family was released onto Paddys Pond and are doing
well. There seems to be a shortage of Mallard broods this year
- have you seen any ?
6th May 2008
Orange-tip butterflies seen Greenwood Close yesterday
& today. Nina Jardine and Daphne Lees heard a Cuckoo calling
in the Archbank area on Saturday 3rd May and Louise Smith spotted
a Coot at the Station Park this morning.
4th May 2008
First ducklings seen at the Station Park on Friday evening
(2nd May), a pair of Tufted Ducks on the Quarry Pond and more
Swifts above the town. No Cuckoos reported yet.
30th April 2008
While down at the Dyke Quarry today, Jock Dicerbo was
lucky to be present when a "commic" tern flew by,
which is a very good sighting and the first for a couple of
years. For those who don't know what is meant by a "commic"
tern, it is either a Common or an Arctic Tern - they are extremely
difficult to tell apart without very close inspection, hence
the unofficial generic name "commic".
29th April 2008
Monday 28th records on Dyke Quarry :
4 Wheatear, 1 Sedge Warbler, lots of Willow Warblers, plenty
Swallows and Sand Martins with a few House Martins.
2 Mute Swan, 2 Canada Geese, 2 Little Grebe, female Goosander,
3 Cormorants, 4 Grey Heron, 1 Lapwing, 4 Oystercatchers, 5 Curlew,
3 Common Sandpipers, 2 Magpie, 2 Buzzard, 1 Kestrel and a number
of Black Headed and Common Gulls passing over. A good number
of Reed Buntings, Meadow Pipits, etc.
The Osprey has been seen on a further two occasions !!!
Dyke Farm Nature Reserve :
Nesting birds so far include Blue and Great Tits, Song Thrush,
Blackbird, House Sparrow, Starling, Mallard, Moorhen, Wren,
Robin, Stock Dove, Carrion Crow and reports of others will follow.
2 Teal, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Mistle Thrush, Long
Tailed Tits and many others around.
Tadpoles have hatched and there are a good number of Bumblebees
around.
The Jock Dicerbo Hide will remain open for the summer months
so come down and remember to sign the visitors book.
Swifts have arrived, quite a few flying over the town today.
27th April 2008
Osprey sighted over the quarry and our own reserve on Saturday
26th - before anyone gets too excited, almost certainly one
just passing through! Electricity service was asked if they
could fit warning tags to the overhead wires and they responded
very quickly indeed. Hopefully there will be no more swan casualties.
21st April 2008
Dan Watson (NTS) recorded a new moth for us, an Early Tooth-striped
(Trichopteryx carpinata f. fasciata), at the Reserve on Saturday
morning. This has duly been added to our Moth
List
18th April 2008
A Whooper Swan hit the wires at the quarry on Monday 14th and
subsequently died, its presumed mate has been on the Quarry
pond at times. On a brighter note a pair of Canada Geese are
nesting on the newly created island and upwards of sixty Sand
Martins and a few Swallows have also been hunting over the quarry.
A pair of Common Sandpiper are regularly seen and there has
been a good number of Meadow Pipits moving through and two Skylarks
have been singing.
Iain was out on Monday and while at the Hightae Loch there
were calling Chiffchaff and Willow Warblers and a female Smew
and a Willow Tit were notable records. Dormont estate was relatively
quite except for over a dozen singing Chiffchaff and three Jays
13th April 2008
Recent sightings include more Swallows around Moffat including
the Co-op, a House Martin at Wamphray, sightings of Osprey near
Elvanfoot, some Nuthatches nesting, still a few Brambling around
and lots of Goldfinches and Siskins and a Willow Warbler along
the Old Carlisle Road.
11th April 2008
Swallows seen at Dyke Quarry on 10th April, more Sand Martins
around. Chiffchaff was heard calling at our reserve and at Hammerlands.
A Common Sandpiper was on the Quarry.
4th April 2008
Kingfisher seen at the Reserve on Thursday, lots of toads spawning
and on the 'Jock Dicerbo' hide a starling has started to build
a nest. Lots of pinkfeet moving north and flocks of fieldfare
have been seen, with oystercatchers and curlews reported.
3rd April 2008
Summer migrants are starting to arrive. A Wheatear and about
a dozen Sandmartins were sighted at the quarry yesterday and
Garry heard a Chiffchaff while on his travels. Recent sightings
at the quarry include eight Cormorants and eleven Goldeneye.
15th March 2008
There has been little to report over the winter. No Waxwings
this time. A few Bramblings are about but apparently not in
any great number. Now that springtime is approaching, birds
are showing an interest in breeding, looking for nest sites,
etc. Geese are starting to move northwards. Lapwings & Oyster
Catchers are moving inland in some numbers. Frogs and newts
are gathering in various ponds and some spawning has started.
Sand Martins, usually the earliest of the summer visitors, should
start arriving within the next couple of weeks and we hope that
this year they return to nesting down at our Reserve.
