Sticklebacks and spy-cams

09.08.16

Well, the couple of sticklebacks which Steve put into the pond have turned into several large flotillas. So far no major predators appear to have cottoned-on to their presence but we’ve been aware of herons flying over in pterodactyl-like style and are eagerly awaiting the arrival of migratory birds to see if any have kept up to date with the blog (the pond seems huge to me but might just be more teal-sized than whooper swan!).

There have only been a few sightings on the wildlife cameras to get excited about but occasional badgers, foxes and hares show up to remind us of their existence. Cottage inhabitants last week saw two squirrels together at the feeder and Steve spotted a deer down the track. If Facebook is your thing you might have seen the magical piece of taxidermy a guest showed us last week – a tiny still-born roe fawn which he’d found moments after its mother had given birth and which he couldn’t bear to see going to waste. It’s been given a new life in the most extraordinarily beautiful and sensitive way –  https://www.facebook.com/mcmurdostonhouse/photos/a.425158434356521.1073741834.413650192174012/511422652396765/?type=3&theater.

Another, rather different, camera to get us excited has been the Camera Obscura in Dumfries which turned 180 years old last week. It’s a fascinating bit of kit which is well worth the minimal entrance fee and provides a fantastic spy’s eye view of the town and its surroundings – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-36940561. It’s housed in the old windmill dominating the skyline above the Nith and you’ll get free entry to one of the best museums in the country to boot. I hadn’t visited since I was a child and it reminded me again of the many unique aspects of Dumfries and Galloway which have drawn me here all my life.