A Prehistoric Date With Bessie

Shot of the Day

This is the first day that I've really felt that Spring was just around the corner. It was such a beautiful morning I got up reasonably early and after a breakfast of porridge I went to do my weekly turn at filling the feeders. Filling done I got myself comfortable in the hide and spent a very relaxing hour watching much coming and going on the feeders, unfortunately at that time in the morning when the sun is shining it's a struggle to get a clear shot as you're shooting into the light. At one point I was disturbed by a strange sound which turned out to be a bird of mechanical means, a helicopter passed close by inspecting the pylons that march up the valley. Happy with the time I spent at the feeders I responded to text from Tootlepedal saying that Wauchope Cottage  was open for coffee.

I've no idea why this pheasant is hanging his head in shame.

The mechanical bird

After lunch I collected Tootlepedal for a prearranged trip to Bessie's Hill which is part of the Prehistoric Trail. I've been on the trail on numerous occasions but somehow always missed out Bessie's Hill thinking it was one of the lesser strongholds. How wrong I was, it turned out to be the most interesting by far. I suppose when it was surrounded by trees the full effect of the site was hidden and there was little grab the imagination. 

We stopped off at the King Pool

 

The water was crystal clear in this little run off by the river.

  lovely mossy path led us up to Bessie's Hill

This gives reasonable impression of the site

The Girdle Stones in the far distance.

  We couldn't make head nor tail of these indents in the moss but in the end we thought it was just the weather.

Ones imagination could run riot looking at these witch like fingers. To me it looks like the fingers of the vampire Nesferatu.

Some of the trees were hanging heavy with a bumper crop of cones, which should attract o good variety of birds.

I liked the way the weather has encouraged the moss to gradually build up and cover this branch like a cosy glove.

After leaving Bessie's Hill we returned home by circular route travelling back down the other side of the valley. We stopped off at the Girdle Stones where we found this strange looking effigy that had been placed on one of the stones.

We returned to Wauchope Cottage for a cup of tea and a biscuit. Tootlepedal took the oppertunity to show the work that is been done on the end wall. It all seems to be coming together and I look forward to seeing the finished result, but I've a feeling the front room'll look much the same as before but no water coming through the wall. In the evening we went to the Archive Centre and spent another fruitless night trying to put a week of the E&l onto the database due to a poor connection on the BT Hotspot.

A Grand Opening.

Shot of the Day

Today was the official opening of the new hide at the moorland feeder station. This was a grand affair, we were bused up to the sight although Tootlepedal opted to cycle there instead. Something maybe I should have done as I've accumulated some extra weight over the winter months which needs to be addressed. There was some welcoming coffee, tea and delicious cakes and tray bakes on hand. I wondered how the birds would react to so many people milling around but they just ignored us and carried on as though we weren't there. This was a good thing as there was quite a few youngsters there and they got to see what was on view and hopefully they'll pay regular visits with friends and family. The inside of the hide had been transformed since Tootlepedal and I had visited the previous morning. Benches, sills and information boards had been installed, making the place feel as where one could spend a few comfortable hours. 

Dr Barlow speaks about how the project came about and the obstacles they had to cross before it all came to fruition.

Simon and Dr Barlow are joined by Daniel Lacey who designed and constructed the hide with help from some of Langholm Academy pupils.

Local head gamekeeper Simon Lester had been invited to cut the ceremonial ribbon but beforehand he gave a speech on how appropriate that Mother Nature had its place here on Mothers Day.

  

  

The usual cheery Tootlepedal.

looking for Signs of Spring And All That Jazz

Shot of the Day

Saturday
After breakfast and a general tidy up I phoned Tootlepedal to see if he was interested in a short stroll to make the best of the sun that we were greeted with. There was no answer so I set off to see if I could get some shots for the next Langholm camera club meeting as the theme is Signs of Spring. It's still a bit early yet for much to be budding except for catkins they are quite plentiful The snowdrops are well through and covering the ground quite thickly in some places. 

I liked the way the sunlight was coming through the trees as I made my way along the path towards the Duchess bridge.

I took this shot from the bridge and the out of focus water in the background provides a nice background that emphasizes the catkins

Looking upriver from the Duchess bridge

The hills seemed to take on a warm spring glow in the early Spring sunshine.

I came upon these crates of Snowdrop bulbs I was always under the impression that it was against the law to dig up these bulbs without permission. On inquiring these crates have been lying here for some time.

Snowdrops where they should be

On my way home I called into Wauchope Cottage for a nice cup of coffee and to see if Tootlepedal would like to go for a short walk in the afternoon. I mentioned the crates of snowdrops and Mrs  Tootlepedal said she had noticed they had been there for some time.

I met Tootlepedal later and our walk was on  path that we hadn't been on before so it was nice to explore new ground. Unfortunately as good as the track was it petered out after a short distance and we had to cross a small field onto the golf course where there is fabulous views of the town and hills beyond as you can see in my Shot of the Day.

We stopped off at the Kilngreen to admire the ducks and flying birds

 

Tootlepedal got a much better shot of the Oyster Catcher than me.

We made our way back to Wauchope Cottage by the Ty Pennington path round the Castleholm. I declined Tootlepedals offer of a cup of tea and headed for home and a snooze.

In the evening I attended a wonderful concert at the Buccleuch Centre by the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra playing the music of Billy Strayhorn. For a more detailed account of the concert visit Tootlepedal's blog. I was joined by by colleagues from work for a pre-theatre supper in the centre before the show. It was an excellent meal and first class service and it was nice to see that others were taking advantage of this option.