Catch a flying pie
If you’re fine tuning an ear for birdsong, early summer in a Scottish oakwood can be a great time to practise. That’s because some of the louder, resident songsters, such as chaffinch, are joined by more subtle-voiced, migrant singers. Pied flycatcher and redstart are two such migrants. Give them a listen online
to get an idea of their phrasing. Oakwoods where you might hear them include some of those in Argyll, Lochaber and flanking Loch Lomond. Visit the woods and wetlands of the River Dee, in Dumfries and Galloway, and you could also combine song appreciation with views of part of Scotland’s expanding red kite population. The Galloway Kite Trail is a circular route that runs near the Dee from north
of Castle Douglas to New Galloway and back. There’s a feeding station at Laurieston that can be popular with the bird once known as the ‘gled’ in Scots dialect. But there’s also a chance of seeing some of these elegant scavengers along other parts of the valley.
Web tip: Online birdsong clips:
www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide Galloway Kite Trail:
www.gallowaykitetrail.com
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Say it again, sand
Rum, Eigg, Muck and Canna: that’s a world-class quartet of names for anyone with a liking for characterful islands. Each could reward a summer visit, with Eigg an excellent introduction to the group. One thing I relish about Eigg is how its community
has thrived since the island was bought by a partnership between local people, the ScottishWildlife Trust and the Highland Council in 1997. It’s also a place where, almost literally, the landscape can speak to you. Take a short walk from Cleadale, in the heart of the community, to a coast where ancient rock features are to
the fore. At Laig Bay, you could stand on beautiful Jurassic sandstones from the times of the dinosaurs and look out to see an otter searching the inshore kelp beds for crabs. But it’s the ‘Singing Sands’ here that can steal the
show. Catch them in dry conditions, and the quartzite grains will squeak underfoot: weird but pleasing music from the remains of mountains long vanished.
Web tip:
www.isleofeigg.net and click ‘Nature on Eigg’
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www.snh.gov.uk
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