Category: Birds

Swans & Cygnets – 28 October 2026

Posted on by Zogman

Isn’t it nice to see two cygnets out for a paddle with mum and dad.

Scamp was out in the morning, meeting one of the witches for lunch. I wasn’t invited, but that suited me today. Idropped her off at Tesco in the Town Centre and drove home.

I was attempting to find a file that I used to have that showed the steps to make a bow tie. It seems that the original is no longer available on Pinterest. Then just by luck, this evening, I found a cut down version of the steps to make the bow tie. I don’t know who had the original version of the steps, but I think I’ve got enough now to restart the bow tie creation.

Rather than start the building of the bow tie, I began the demolition of the old plastic greenhouse. We think it was about twelve years old before it collapsed in Saturday’s storm, although it could have been longer. Anyway, it was almost rusted right through and was fairly easy to take apart with the help of a Claw Hammer and a pair of Mole Grips. Two essential tools for demolition. I managed to separate the metal tubes from the plastic supports. Hopefully we’ll take them to the skips later this week.

I went for a walk once Scamp had returned and got today’s PoD of the swans and cygnets in St Mo’s pond.

We watched another two episodes of Bergerac tonight. That leaves only one episode for tomorrow or maybe Friday. I’m a bit lost as to who the ‘baddies’ are and who are not. Time will tell.

I think we may have a last Tea Dance of the year this week.

Grey Heron – 13 October 2026

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Saw a Grey Heron hiding in the pond at St Mo’s.

I just missed a couple of heavy rain showers today. It was a rushed day. We drove to Falkirk to get a new carpet for the kitchen. That was the high point. Once Scamp had chosen the size, colour and pattern of the carpet, we paid for it and drove back home again. One new carpet in, as another went out. I don’t know how old that ancient carpet was, but it disappeared into the skip at the Council Tip today.

One brightener of the day was seeing a Grey Heron in the shallows of the pond at St Mo’s. I managed to get a few shots of the bird before it spotted me and flew off. The one shot I got was just a ‘lucky’. As it turned out, it was the only shot of the bird I got before it flew away. It’s a couple of years since I’ve seen a member of Mr Grey’s family. I hope I didn’t scare this one away completely and he/she returns to the pond soon. The heron made PoD.

We drove over for dinner with Crawford & Nancy in Larky. It’s been a long time since we could all meet together and we really enjoyed the blether. We talked so much we forgot about time and didn’t leave Larky until just before midnight. We’ll suffer for it tomorrow.

No plans for tomorrow.

Robin – 10 September 2026

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I was looking out at the back garden this morning when I caught sight of this chubby wee robin. I just had to capture him/her.

I’ve never been able to sex some birds and robins are definitely the worst. From what I’ve read, I’m not the only one who has problems with them, hence the ‘him/her’. Apparently the difference is the shape of their head. Some say female robins have white breasts, but it’s the young birds of both sexes that don’t have red breasts. The same is true for the white wing bars which are present on both genders.

Other than birdwatching, today was spent shopping and trying to agree on possible destinations for a few days in the sun. So far it has been less than successful, but we’ll keep plugging away, trying to find somewhere we can both agree on. Time is ticking!

No real plans for tomorrow, but the weather doesn’t look very accommodating, so it might be a stay at home day.

Out for a walk – 13 May 2026

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Today we picked up Shona and took her to Helix Park to see the Kelpies.

It was an awful day for a walk. Torrential rain with lightning, hailstones and sleet. All within about fifteen minutes. It did clear up, but only so the weather could get its breath back before the next deluge drifted in. We decided that would be a good time to grab a seat in the cafe and avoid the next shower. One Mac ’n’ Cheese for each of the ladies while I had a pretty tasteless large Sausage Roll.

Once our lunch was over and we were sure the worst of the weather was past, we went for a walk round the Kelpies. I think it was the first time they had met Shona and they seemed to approve of her visit. We had walked almost to the furthest north part of the park when the heavy rain drove us to shelter under the bridge that crosses an offshoot of the canal. Not the most comfortable place, noisy and with a cold wind blowing through it, but at least it was dry.

After a while the winds wound themselves down and lo and behold, the sun shone from a blue sky and the weather remained like that for most of the rest of the day. We walked over the canal outlet and down the other side of the canal to get a different view of the Kelpies. Once we’d seen everything that interested us we drove back to Cumbersheugh in the rain that had decided it wanted to splash us again. We dropped Shona off at her house and drove home. I completely forgot that I was going to treat the Blue car to a new set of windscreen wiper blades. That’s now been relegated to tomorrow morning.

PoD went to a clutch of cygnets with their mums and dads, out for a swim. All, that is, all except the couple who were sheltering on their mum’s back. You might not be able to see them from the photo, but I swear they are there. I also got a clear photo of a Grey Heron. Truly a birdwatcher’s day out.

Happy Birthday, Neil. I hope you had a good one!

Maybe we might just manage a trip to Glenburn tomorrow for a tea dance.

Round the ponds – 3 May 2026

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A dull start to a dull day.

One of those days that never really got started. The furthest I got was a walk around St Mo’s pond. I did get a host of photos, but the best by far was a clutch of Mallard ducklings out for a swim with their mum. That made PoD.

Scamp did a lot of tidying up and later we watched the qualifying F1 race in Miami which was a little bit short of scintillating. The commentators tried hard to make it exciting, but it didn’t work.

Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Hopefully we’ll get some sunshine too!

Feeding the birds – 15 April 2026

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Another wet day in Glasgow, but the lady feeding the birds didn’t seem to mind.

We got the bus in to Glasgow. Scamp was looking for a pair of sandals and I wanted to get my hair cut. We went separate ways to achieve our goals, but only I was successful. A Number 3 for the top and a Number 2.5 on the sides and back. Ten minutes later I was walking out of the barbers.

Scamp and I met up again on Sauchiehall Street and walked up the hill because she thought I should be looking for a new camera bag. Admittedly, the bag I use is a good age, and it does let in the rain sometimes, but for the most part, it works. Reluctantly I went to WEX, but I already knew I wasn’t going to find my ideal camera bag there. I’m pretty sure I’ve whittled it down to two models, neither of which are available in Glasgow. Empty handed we walked back down the hill again and dropped in at Waterstones, not for a book this time, but for a coffee and a shared cake.

Then instead of Scamp dragging me around, I dragged her for a change. She wanted to find a pair of sandals, so we went in to most of the shoe shops on Buchanan Street, but again, came away empty handed. I think it just wasn’t our day today.
Luckily as we crossed the road to the bus station, the doors in our bus home were just opening and we hopped on. The roadworks are still going on in Glasgow and the bus took us on yet another variation of routes round the city. I really don’t know how the bus drivers remember all these different routes on different days. Well done to the lot of them.

Back home I made Smoked Haddock & Leek Risotto for dinner and it was hailed a great success even although I’d forgotten to add the Crème Fraîche at the end. Maybe I should ignore it in future. Anyway, it’s too complicated to remember all the accents 😉.

PoD went to a lady feeding her flock of pigeons in Sausageroll Street, completely ignoring the rain.

Tomorrow we may be going looking for dance shoes for Scamp and we are hoping to go to the tea dance too.

Another wild old day – 29 March 2026

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The clocks went forward an hour in the middle of the night, but we were deep in sleep then, so we must take other folk’s word for it.

It may have been the start of British Summer Time, but it certainly didn’t feel like it this morning. A howling wind and lashing rain doesn’t really fit very well with the concept of Summer in any country. Not that it mattered much because neither of us were going very far today.

Sunday lunch is usually Black Pudding, Bacon and maybe a fried egg for me. Today we both had Poached Egg on Toast. Me, because my stomach was a bit upset and I wanted to have a lighter lunch than normal. Scamp, because she wanted to be up sides with me. It must be about a year since I’ve had a poached egg and today’s was just excellent, because Scamp cooked it!

The furthest I got today was a walk around St Mo’s pond with my Tamron 70-180mm, watching the swans chasing the Canada Geese away from the area where they were nest building. Although the swans seemed to be winning, I felt that the geese were just giving them the run-around. Eventually the swans returned to the nesting area, but not before one swan puffed itself up and became quite threatening to me. I took Jamie’s hint and left sharpish, but only because my portable hand warmer had run out of charge … honest!
That swan made PoD.

When I got home, Scamp was just finishing off a sponge cake and allowing it to cool. Today’s main for me was Mince and Tatties with the usual addition of sliced Beetroot. Scamp had a slice of Salmon with mashed potatoes. Dessert was the Sponge with custard. Delightfully light sponge. Again, Scamp’s work, not mine – as if I could make something like that!!

Spoke to Jamie and heard that he was planting out his seeds in the greenhouse. Although it was cold down there too, I think it wasn’t quite as cold as we’ve had for the past couple of weeks. A planned power outage from his council was going to mean that he had to work from home later in the week.

Tomorrow we may go out somewhere. Kirsty’s class is cancelled for the next two weeks for Easter holidays.

Wild, Windy and Wet – 13 March 2026

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That about sums up the early part of the day.

Scamp was out at FitSteps in the morning. While she was out I made a fair attempt at cleaning up the living room table. It’s still quite tidy now, but I’m going to attempt to clean it up before I go to bed.

When Scamp returned I couldn’t decide whether to stay home or go out for a walk. The weather sorted out that problem for me with heavy rain showers that came and went for most of the afternoon.

I finally decided to go, and got a few shots of the Grey Heron that seems to have decided that there’s good fishing to be had in St Mo’s pond. It’s a few years since we’ve had herons fishing in the ponds. I hope this one stays. They are such leisurely birds in the air with their large wingspan. I managed to get some photos without being caught in the rain showers. Also, the wind had dropped, but I was on my way home by then.

The heron didn’t get PoD. That went to a Hawthorn leaf on a tree. The green leaves seem to have appeared really quickly this spring, but the trees are holding back on the leaves just yet, at least until May arrives. I suspect.

I’d ordered some coffee beans from Henry’s a couple of days ago and complained about the likelihood of it not being delivered until tomorrow, or even Monday, but when I was leaving the house to go on my walk, the man was just coming along to deliver it, so I had to eat my words this time. I still don’t trust Royal Mail.

We got the sad news that Marion’s mum passed away a few days ago. I think we only met her a few times, but we’ve know John and Marion for a long time.

Tomorrow we’re hoping to go to our first dance class in about a month. I hope we manage to get my left foot and right foot sorted out before we go!

Glasgow – 21 January 2026

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I got the bus to Glasgow to meet up with Alex for a photo walk.

I’d arrived early and managed a walk round a few of the buildings near the bus station. Since Glasgow is built on a series of square blocks, nobody would ever get lost there. It’s a comforting thought, especially late at night or after one has consumed a generous amount of alcoholic beverages. Not that I had time for that pursuit and anyway, it was a Wednesday and being a weekday, drinking is not allowed in this family on a weekday.

I walked back to the bus station and met Alex, then we wandered down to the nearest Nero and had a coffee and a catch up. It had been about a month since our last walk, so we had a lot to talk about. Since the weather was still good, we chose to walk down Buchanan Street. Stopped in at the Clyde Walkway to see if there were any good bits of graffiti there to admire and then walked on to shoot more shots of the riverside Cathedral. By then it was pizza time, so Alex had his usual Tuscan Fennel sausage with tomato, mozzarella and olive oil. For once I went off piste and had Tomato base with sliced ham, rocket and grated cheese. We sat and talked about cameras, computers, photo management and lots of other techy stuff.

When we left the pizza place you could feel the light failing and night approaching. Alex had a couple of tries at some graffiti on a wall nearby, then we trudged our way up the hill to the bus station. We promised ourselves another meeting in a couple of weeks.

For once, I walked round to the stance for the Cumbersheugh bus and there it was with the last few passengers just boarding. It’s not like me to be lucky with buses, but I was today.

Back home Scamp was talking to Hazel and I joined in towards the end. We heard all the news about Epsom and roundabout. I promise Hazel I’ll wear the duck sweatshirt tomorrow and I’ll have a photo to prove it!

Dinner for Scamp and me was Scotch Broth made by our next door neighbour who always says she makes too much. I think she’s just showing off her soup making skills. I must bake some bread for her next week, just to show our appreciation.

PoD went to a Glasgow pigeon ( usually called a Doo in and around Glasgow ) all fluffed up to ward off the cold winds we are about to get

Hopefully dancing tomorrow if the weather is open.

 

Shopping – 25 November 2025

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Despite last week’s shopping bonanza, there were still some things we needed ( for Needed, read Wanted ).

We drove to Morrison’s at The Fort and bought a few bottles, mainly wine, but I admit I did collect a couple of beer bottles too, just to be up sides with Scamp. Morrison’s is so much more down to earth than Waitrose. Now, don’t get me wrong. I have no problem with Waitrose, it’s just that I tend to be more restrained in Morrison’s than in Waitrose with all its enticing and intriguing offers than you get in Morrison’s or Tesco. Still, we spent enough to take us from “just tap your card” to “your PIN number is required”. I think the problem was I couldn’t find a ‘normal’ sized trolly and settled for the big deep one. I should have thought it through and searched further afield for a ‘normal’ one. My fault.

Instead of driving straight home, Scamp suggested we stop at Drumpellier Park and go for a walk round the loch. It’s not a big loch, but it’s big enough to give us a chance to stretch our legs. Underfoot the paths were a bit icy and to get better purchase we could walk on the grass. It gave better traction, but then you risk crunching through the thin skin of ice and sinking into the mud beneath. A ‘no win’ situation. We took the hybrid route. Walk on the path if it doesn’t look icy and if it does, keep your fingers crossed and walk on the grass.

I’d brought my A7c with me and with frosty patterns on the ice and a beautiful sky that graduated from blue to creamy yellow over the pond, I did take a few photos. The “Whale’s Tail” made and interesting subject, but it wasn’t until I caught sight of two swans cruising past on the loch that I got PoD. One definite in the bag.

It had been a cold day with the temperature not rising much above 2º and I was glad to get parked and settled. Dinner was Fish Risotto. One of the easiest risottos you can make. The oven does all the hard work.

Scamp seems to be a lot more comfortable now that she’s had a couple of doses of her meds. Good to see that.

Neither of us were interested in going out again today, because you could feel the cold returning. As I write this, the outside temperature is – 0.7ºc and I’m off to bed.

Scamp is intending to meet the other witches for lunch at Borden’s in Condorrat tomorrow. I’m sure I’ll find something to do.