Where did that fish-box come from?

Blue origin, red recovery. (eyemouth was too close to home to show)

Bird ringing might provide us with some interesting information on bird travel but how about mapping fish-box movements...??

Found some today... closest to home was Eyemouth, next was Pool, then Shetland and finally Quimper (north west France). In actual fact they could have been lost pretty much anywhere out at sea but it's just a bit of fun!

Shetland

Roughly translates to... Property CCI Quimper, Any illegal users will be prosecuted.

 Anyone else got a good recovery let me know?

Anyway todays birds...

  

Mire Loch this morning; Whinchat 1m at petticowick end, Sedge warbler 2, Goldcrest 3, Little grebe 1, Reed bunt 4m, Grey part pair, Willow w 14, Chiff 3, Blackcap 1f, Kestrel 1m. + Usual stuff.

Millars Moss this afternoon; Mute swan pair, Tufted duck 16m 14f, Scaup (male relocated from Mire Loch), Coot 5, Mallard 3m 2f, Oystercatcher pair (same place as last year), Willow w 3, Redstart 1m, Sparrowhawk 1f. Seems the Goldeneye have all moved off, males went first then the females.

Flowers are also putting on a good show at the moment...

Thrift.. soon to be all over the place

Sea campion

Scurvy grass

Wood Anemone (at Dowlaw)

Common dog-violet

 

Foxy foxy!

Look who I caught having a cheeky afternoon nap yesterday!

Rambling

 Couple of Brambling pics from around the Mire Loch from last week, finally got around to adding them on here.

Willows all over the face!

Willow

Well Willow Warblers have well and truly arrived… it would be impossible to give an accurate number but ‘vast’ is a good word. Every branch was popping with them late this morning. By comparison very few Chiff. Good numbers of Goldcrest also fresh in. Most birds seemed to be around the boathouse area.

 
This morning:
Willow Warbler 100+, Chiffchaff 4, Goldcrest 12, Blackcap 1f, Goldfinch 7, Grey Partridge 1pair, Raven 1N, House martin 4N, Swallow (constant movements all morning past the lighthouse 20/hour.) Also Great tit nest building in new box by the Boathouse. Nuthatch frequent around the Rangers Office.

Yellowhammer

Kickin up a fuss...

Nutter

Hairy

Raptorfest!

Things are really beginning to get going here at St Abb’s Head.

Todays counts: ML=Mire Loch, MD=Mire Dean

Chiffchaff- 17 ML, MD and walled garden, Willow warbler- 2 ML, Blackcap- 1 male walled garden, 1 female ML, Goldcrest- 3 ML, Siskin- 1 ML, Bullfinch- Pair ML, Swallow- 6N past lighthouse, Wheatear- 32 petticowick/north end of ML, 9 kirk hill, Redwing- 6 ML, Fieldfare- 1 at lighthouse, Teal- Pair ML, Scaup- Male still ML, OSPREY- 1N @ 19:00 (mobbed by gulls, a buzzard and a peregrine), RED KITE- 1N @ 12:30.

Red Kite flying the red flag. Record shot

The Red Kite was sporting red wing tags indicating that it came from a nest in central scotland and was hatched in 2003. I can't quite make out the numbers, possibly 17. The Osprey appears to be unringed.

The gulls really weren't too keen on the Osprey, as weren't the Peregrine and Buzzard.

Initial view

Showing off with a fly over...

and past...

and around...

and around...

and away.

Shine a light!

It must be spring now… Since my last post… frogspawn, bumblebees, chiffchaff and wheatear! It’s still pretty cold up at the head though and with little to report i’ll do a post about my dwelling at the lighthouse.

St Abb’s Head lighthouse is one of only two in Scotland with the light reached by going down a flight of steps. This design is due to the fact that fog often obscures the 300ft summit of the hills. The lighthouse produces light that is visible for up to 26 miles. It flashes once every 10 seconds and the large foghorn (made redundant in 1987) is also special, being the first of its kind in Scotland. 

 

Lighthouse supplies used to be landed by boat at the small jetty at Pettico Wick (Petticowick) and transported by horse and cart up the steep road to the lighthouse buildings above. To see the original plans for the lighthouse buildings and some great aerial photos check out this link…St Abb's Head Lighthouse 

 The Lighthouse was converted to electricity in 1966 and was fully automated in 1993. It is now remotely monitored in Edinburgh and the cottages at the top of the cliff are private holiday lets.

Plenty of these around

Looking good