Wildlife in Stevenston

[John Donnelly]

Interesting Iain.
I was struck that the markings on this moth look like the face of a cat.
JD.

[5siamese7]

Just a few degrees warmer and big changes are happening with our wildlife.

[elvis1913]

Just a few degrees warmer and big changes are happening with our wildlife.

Can't wait-for that, I silently enjoy your photography as I myself loved taking images of wildlife

[iain]

JD, I’d never actually noticed, but now you mention it…(!)

Below, a large expanse of pink Ragged Robin growing at Ardeer Fen one or two summers ago. It’s a display of wetland flowers rivalled in Stevenston only by Ashgrove Loch. The giant over-ground sewage pipe (in the background) has always been a bit of an eyesore though! I got an email from Scottish Water a few weeks ago telling me that they plan to remove this sewage pipe by mid-March. I’ve not been in Ayrshire for about a month, so I don’t know if the work has progressed. The removal of the pipe should improve the view considerably.

[Vivc113]

Gorgeous flowers!!!!

[5siamese7]

JD, I’d never actually noticed, but now you mention it…(!)

Below, a large expanse of pink Ragged Robin growing at Ardeer Fen one or two summers ago. It’s a display of wetland flowers rivalled in Stevenston only by Ashgrove Loch. The giant over-ground sewage pipe (in the background) has always been a bit of an eyesore though! I got an email from Scottish Water a few weeks ago telling me that they plan to remove this sewage pipe by mid-March. I’ve not been in Ayrshire for about a month, so I don’t know if the work has progressed. The removal of the pipe should improve the view considerably.

It was known locally as the black pipe and many is the time I crossed it with my shotgun and my dog sam. He was very astute and had great balance. I estimate about a seven foot drop in the middle into floating turf and sphagnum moss. There are names of local youths from Stevenston etched into the pipe. looking at their ages it would suggest that Stevenston was a pretty safe place for children in the early fifties.

[5siamese7]

My cousins Jim and Conway Martin though in Oz still talk about the black pipe. The Moores and Jim Boyd all shot around that area. The names on the pipe are billy Cummins , willie m'cart. I remember one frosty morning my dog Sammy and I walked across it and Sam lost his footing and fell off it, luckily landing on the floating turf .I didn't take him across it again. Such larks.

[iain]

A Common Lizard in the heathland across the Garnock from Stevenston. Lizards are common along most of the Irvine coast, but for some reason are very rare in (or maybe even absent from) identical habitat across the Garnock in Stevenston. Common Lizards are apparently present throughout Ayrshire (including in farmland) but at a very low density - so low that they are rarely ever seen. They are only ever abundant in ‘heathy’ habitats, such as peat bogs, sand dunes and moorland. Even then they are still difficult to see because they spend most of the day hunting invertebrates under the cover of heather and long grass.

[brian f]

Thanks, Ian. I never knew Lizards lived in Scotland .

[5siamese7]

Blackbirds predate on them.

[Vivc113]

I found a bunch of birds directly outside the front door this morning. Obviously avoiding the rain, but I nearly fell over them (!!)

[5siamese7]

Its been quite encouraging recently with gold finches, house sparrows ,robins and of course our resident blackbird. The tits are less numerous as they were affected with the poor spring last year. Our resident mute swans are sitting tight and are one of the more successful species. Lots of swans down at south beach enjoying the water from the Stanley burn. Not enough nesting sites for these folk.