Sunday, December 13, 2015
After a very cold night, there was a clear sky and a sprinkling of snow on the hills. Loch Glascarnoch was so still that you couldn't immediately tell where the sloping moors ended and the water began. In its reflection, a gorge carrying a stream was turned into a mountain range.
We carried on south to Rogie Falls, where Greger hoped for the big flock of finches we saw there last winter; but we didn't see any at all. Three goosanders flying downstream and a dipper were a fair exchange.
Back at Glascarnoch, we walked out on the dam looking for snow buntings, as, again, we saw some here last winter. What we got was a wholly unexpected great tit!
The great tit was searching for food under ledges on the vast dam wall. It flew across to the central tower and hovered in corners where there could be hibernating or pupating insects.
Two meadow pipits flew past and disappeared into the heather, a buzzard was sitting on wires some distance away, and a dunnock called repeatedly from a snow-covered rock near the water. There were no birds on the still water; but as we passed Loch Droma we saw two whooper swans, with at least three more on the river (Abhainn Droma) that runs down to the Corrieshalloch Gorge.
It struck me today that we didn't see any juvenile whoopers this autumn, and although we saw some juveniles last autumn, they didn't seem to overwinter. The swans that wintered here were adults only. I can only suppose they are failed breeders, which is a pity. So it was good to see that five whoopers were reported in Oxfordshire today, at Cholsey Hill - 2 adults and 3 juveniles.
// posted by Christine @ 3:11 PM 
