A Cold Start to the Year 2010 in Stranraer

Had to pop in to town for a few bits so had a walk around the harbour. The first thing I noticed in the carpark were the oily puddles!

Lots of boats in the harbour.

Colourful fishing boats reflected in the water

Plenty of birds on the shore including Turnstones

Pigeons were collecting nesting material and taking it under the jetty where they roost

A Common Gull

Juvenile Gull

A Redshank

A very frozen boating lake

Dont jump!

The gulls had managed to find a small unfrozen area

Reflected lifebouy

Patterns in the water

The old ferry

Back home and a rescue helicopter flies over

Our burn frozen over

and ice everywhere

Sandhead to Cairnweil Hill 31st December 2009

A lovely sunny day although very cold, Decided on a walk to work off some of the Christmas food and still a tetrad to do for the BTO Bird Atlas. Parked near the shore at Sandhead cut through up the hill past the school and then followed the roads until we reached the footpath to Cairnweil Viewpoint. Lovely Dry Stane Dyke

Standing stone

Clearly marked path up the hill, lots of redwings and fieldfares about here.

The view over Luce Bay towards the snow covered Galloway Hills

It was surprising how little snow there was in the South Rhins compared to the North Rhins

Muck spreading on tap!

The view from the top

We returned back down the path, there is a pond where we saw a heron and reed buntings in the willows

New born calf

View back down the road

Towards West Freugh

Walked back along the shore, a greenshank feeding with the redshanks, rock pipits , oystercatchers and plenty of gulls

The Big Freeze December 2009

Our lane, tractors getting through ok but hill at the end of the road treacherous!

A corner of our garden

Snow fields

From our garden

Kirsty's snowman

A hoody in the garden

Looking down our front path

Bloody farmers, lovely way to spoil the snow

Footsteps

Frosty moss

Frosty deer

Gorse

Easter Island heads in the frost

Icicles

Frost

The bad weather has brought in a lot of birds including Fieldfares, Redwings and Lapwings

Plenty of Whooper swans flying over

...and a Brambling in the garden!