Monday, 23 July 2018

Buntings out on a trip North

A short trip to central Scotland over the weekend saw me wish I'd take a pair of binoculars or my camera as I managed to get a bit of a wander in some countryside. I was staying in a cheep motel just the other side of the M9 from Grangemouth, near Polmont. There was a cycle/foot path alongside the motorway with arable fields on the other side. Most were planted with Wheat but there was at least one field of Oats and a couple left fallow. Walking along this path, I could just hear the faint calls of a bunting over the din of the motorway traffic. A little further on, and the calls became clearer, at least 3 Corn Buntings. Although not even a year tick, it's always nice to come across Corn Buntings.

As well as the Corn Buntings, the following morning produced at least 2 Yellowhamers. Not bad for a narrow strip of farmland jammed in between a major oil refinery town, a motorway, industrial park and a growing commuter town.

On the PSL side, I picked up at least 6 lifers, most fairly mundane with an Orange Swift Hepialus sylvina being the highlight

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