April Ramble & Chat Walk Report

After a wet and windy start to April it was a wonder and a half that this months R&C happened in a window of dry weather! Setting off through the playing fields towards the woods, our eye was immediately drawn to a willow tree with catkins loaded with pollen. This is a great early food source for queen bumblebees and we saw two tree bumblebee queens feeding from them.

This species can be identified by their ginger thorax, black body and white tail. They are relatively new to Scotland, first recorded in 2013, they seem to be doing well here!

We walked down to the river and wandered along the path looking at the new lush spring growth. Getting down to have a closer look, one of us got the first sting of the year from a stinging nettle so we looked for the leaves of the plantain plant, much better for treating nettle stings than the dock leaves that we learned growing up!

Using a combination of field guides from the Field Studies Council, phone apps (Obsidentify and iNaturalist), and our own group knowledge we managed to identify many of the plants.

There were quite a few wildflowers flowering, with lots of lesser celandine, coltsfoot, dandelions and daisies. We did find patches of forget-me-nots and wood anemones too. Jane recognised the invasive leek plant on the riverbank, and we also identified dotted loosestrife, rosebay willowherb and common bistort. We even learned a new word from the wildflower guide – appressed – meaning pressed close but not attached!

Crossing over the river we stopped at a pile of mossy boulders. These were covered in new growth with even foxgloves trying to establish themselves on the stone! There were lots of wild strawberries around and Jane showed us lady’s mantle, which holds beads of water that make them sparkle in the sunlight. We also saw a buff tailed queen bumblebee which disappeared into a pile of sticks and branches on the ground, possibly it’s nest inside.

We walked on along the trail passing three old hawthorns dripping in lichen, seemingly singled out as the preferred hosts from all the other trees.

During the walk we had been listening to the various birdsongs, occasionally using the Merlin app to confirm our IDs. The chiff-chaffs with their non-stop song and the great tits, coal tits, blue tits, robins, blackbirds, and song thrushes all singing too. But then we heard the willow warbler, with it’s wonderful melodious song. It’s really lovely to hear this migrant bird back in the woods, newly returned to breed here.

Andri then spotted a patch of violets growing under some scrub. Beautiful!

We walked on admiring some golden saxifrage that really stood out with its bright yellow on green. Then, quietly through the trees on the other side of a fence, three roe deer walked passed, completely unbothered by our presence!

We admired some grand old beech trees with enormous twisted trunks, marked by big scores on the bark, and then to our surprise, a black coloured butterfly flew past! It was blown a bit by the wind and went too quickly for us to see what species it was. Unfortunately it crossed a burn where we couldn’t follow. We later recorded it on the Field Studies Council, Signs of Spring page since its not necessary to know the exact species for this survey – handy!

Walking under the railway bridge Jane spotted another interesting plant that smells of aniseed – sweet cicely, then the last of our wildflower finds of the day were water avens and marsh marigolds growing at the edge of a boggy area.

The last surprise of the walk was a little treecreeper, seen hopping up a tree before it flew off!

We stopped at the Limefield falls to see the waterfall and look for any dippers that are often seen around there. We didn’t see any this time, but after all the wildlife finds we had seen we didn’t mind! Our one hour ramble had turned into two hours and we enjoyed every minute of it. To spend time in nature with like minded folk is time to be treasured! Why not join us next time, you never know what you’ll see!