Kirkcudbrightshire Botany Group at Southerness (New Year Plant Hunt), 2nd January 2024
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A group of nine of us met at Southerness car park and spent the required three hours looking for plants in flower. Only those open enough to show stamens/ stigmas qualified for the list and we reluctantly had to reject …
Site of the Month: Lynn Glen (January 2024)
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Located just south of Dalry in North Ayrshire this site is of considerable geological interest. The 320 million year old limestone formations have been carved by the water exposing a wide range of marine fossils including corals, bivalves and conodonts, which …
Site of the Month: The Nith Estuary (December 2023)
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This Nith Estuary is one of the most significant sites in the region for wintering waders and waterfowl. The Solway is famously home to the entire wintering population of Svalbard Barnacle Geese Branta leucopsis, and has significant numbers of Pintail Anas acuta, Shelduck Tadorna tadorna and Scaup Aythya marila. The …
Site of the Month: Girvan-Ayr Coast (November 2023)
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This stretch of coast is internationally significant for its geodiversity and is particularly known for its volcanic and palaeontological interests, including the fossilised remains of ancient spores dating from 360-350 MYA. It’s not just the very old biodiversity fossilised in …
Site of the Month: Castle and Kirk Lochs (October 2023)
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Castle and Kirk Lochs, Lochmaben, are nutrient rich lochs with siginficant ammounts of emergent vegetation, providing an important wintering habitat for birds. Wintering birds to look out for include Goosander Mergus merganser, Wigeon Anas penelope, Teal Anas crecca, Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula and Mute Swan Cygnus olor. Water Rail Rallus …
Kirkcudbrightshire Botany Group at Glen Isle, 23rd September 2023
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A group of eight of us met at Palnackie and then drove down the private track to the shore with the kind permission of the landowners. It was a beautiful sunny day and the views across the firth to Kippford, …
Dumfriesshire Botany Group at Moffat, 21st September 2023
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Six of us met in the car park by the park in Moffat. There was an early Autumn feel to the day with rain to arrive later. We planned to survey two monads lacking many records. In the morning we …
Dumfriesshire Botany Group at Hollows, 10th September 2023
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Five of us met at the Gilnockie Bridge at Hollows by the River Esk. It was a very pleasant warm day though with the threat of heavy thundery rain arriving in the afternoon. Thankfully it did so after we finished. …
Site of the Month: Ardrossan – Brodick Ferry Crossing (September 2023)
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Not so much a site this month as a journey. There are a number of ferry crossings in SW Scotland, all of which offer wildlife recording opportunities, but Ardrossan-Brodick is the longest route that is entirely within the SWSEIC recording area. A …
Dumfriesshire Botany Group at Lochmaben, 24th August 2023
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We had a fine warm day for our meeting at Lochmaben. Seven of us explored the north end of the Castle Loch and the southern side of the Mill Loch with a bit of the Kirk Loch en route. The …
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