Wildlife in Stevenston

[ebbe_skovdahl]

I walked through Kerelaw Glen today and spotted two dippers together. Both sitting on the rocks where the overhanging tree with the swing is.

Also a grey wagtail a bit further along.

I was there on Saturday too!! My first spot was a grey squirrel.

Who is responsible for removing trees from rivers by the way?? The ones in the Kerelaw Glen have been there a wee while now.

I went twice today with the dog. No dippers to be seen but I did see a couple of squirrels.

[Vivc113]

It was a better day yesterday. Saturday all I could hear were trees creaking in the wind !!

[iain]

Hi,

I’m not sure exactly which department deals with fallen trees. Kerelaw Glen seems to be particularly rich in fallen deadwood, which makes me think that perhaps leaving fallen trees in place is part of a Council strategy for the site. The Council are explicitly moving towards more natural management of their land and I do wonder if Kerelaw is a manifestation of this. Kerelaw Glen is an official Council ‘Site of Importance for Nature Conservation’, so it's the kind of place you'd think they might be likely to manage in such a way. Trees that have fallen in rivers help create a more dynamic river environment by trapping sediment and by creating scour pools (pools created by the increased flow around the tree). The locally increased water flow around the fallen tree also helps clean the river gravel. So if the Council were managing the wood for wildlife, then it wouldn’t surprise me if they purposefully left the trees in the river where they are. There are a few other signs in the glen that the Council are managing deadwood in a way that is sympathetic to wildlife.
.
Then again, maybe the trees are in the river because the Council just can’t be bothered moving them!

The Council are increasingly moving towards letting areas grow wild - replacing lawn with sown wildflowers, etc. This field at Auchenharvie (pictured last summer) is an example - however, in this instance, the flowers aren't native species. The houses must be in the area of Nelson Road, Mayfield Road etc. in Saltcoats. (I’m going to start embedding my photos from an external host, lest I start taking up loads of board memory!)

[Vivc113]

Very interesting about the trees indeed. I did notice more pools.

That is a lovely picture, btw.

[5eulbdog7]

Took a walk up the glen to-day to see if the dippers were still around. No dippers but a couple of dysons can be found along the banks. I notice that in one place part of the embankment has collapsed when a tree was blown down. Very large pieces of rock have broken off with others about to go. Its a bit of a plowter showing that the path is well used though i met nobody to-day and i was pleased about that.

[iain]

A Scallop Shell moth caught at Ardeer Quarry Local Nature Reserve last year. In Scotland this is a scarce species which inhabits open, marshy woodland. There are only a handful of records from Ayrshire. The species appears to be unusually abundant at Ardeer Quarry LNR, where there are several areas of suitable wet woodland.

[iain]

A Waxwing in an apple tree beside Ardeer Quarry Local Nature Reserve a couple of years ago. Every few winters, thousands of these Scandinavian birds invade Britain in search of fruit and can frequently bee seen feeding on Rowan, Cotoneaster, etc. throughout the Three Towns. Most years, however, only a few birds come to the UK and not a single one is seen in North Ayrshire.

[Vivc113]

If you don't mind me asking - what kind of camera are you using to get such wonderful pictures?

[iain]

Hi,

My camera is a well out-of-date digital SLR - an Olympus E510. I recently bought a good compact camera, but I still find that even the oldest and shabbiest DSLR gives slightly better images than a compact camera (all other things being equal). At least that’s what I try to convince myself of when I’m carrying a heavy DSLR and zoom lens on a long walk!

Iain

[ebbe_skovdahl]

I never noticed any waxwings this winter past.

Plenty last year, had 20+ in my garden at one point.

[brian f]

A Waxwing in an apple tree beside Ardeer Quarry Local Nature Reserve a couple of years ago. Every few winters, thousands of these Scandinavian birds invade Britain in search of fruit and can frequently bee seen feeding on Rowan, Cotoneaster, etc. throughout the Three Towns. Most years, however, only a few birds come to the UK and not a single one is seen in North Ayrshire.

What a photo

[iain]

Hi,

Photographing Waxwings feels a bit like ‘cheating’: it’s hard to take a bad photo because they’re so attractive and tame.

That bumper year two years ago was the first and only time I’d recorded them within the boundary of Ardeer Quarry Local Nature Reserve. I hope, however, that when the reserve’s orchard starts to crop more heavily that it might serve to attract Waxwings during most if not all of their influx years.

Below is a photo of Biting Stonecrop - an odd-looking but attractive plant that thrives in thin, dry soils, such as those found in sand dunes, walls and shingle banks. This photo was taken on the Ardeer Peninsula a year or two ago, where it grows on the sandy roads and pavements.