Last year, a number of events took place and here are some reports on how they went:
> Mossdale to Secret Cages, Guided Walk
Thursdays, 21 July & 18 August 2011 - from 9.45am to 1pm.
This guided walk never ceases to amaze me, with a plethora of wild flora and fauna to be seen in spring and summer. Seven people came on both walks and enjoyed rare summer sunshine as well as privileged views of the Galloway countryside and it's wildlife.
The walk began at the red kite sculpture beside Mossdale shop, before leading to the old railway platform and station house. Those attending were encouraged to think of bygone days when steam engines ran along the old 'Paddy Line', from Castle Douglas to Portpatrick. We continued along the dismantled line (now a farm track) for several hundred metres, catching views of a red kite gliding overhead, and then turned into adjacent fields, along the route. Here, the rolling landscape was covered in grasses, thistles and wildflowers. With hare bell, birds foot trefoils, red campion and pink spikes of heath spotted orchid in damper patches, the colours provided an excellent backdrop for the scenic walk. Butterflies and other flying insects could be seen flitting from flower to flower. There were brief interruptions from the odd meadow pipit and skylark as we continued towards a woodland edge.
Entering a small plantation of youngish spruce trees, we headed through an open corridor, banked with bracken. Small toadlets and grasshoppers could be seen, almost under our feet as we walked over the grassy path. Ringlet and meadow brown butterflies were the most commonly seen, with the occasional Scotch argus poised on nearby vegetation. After a short distance, we left the grasslands of the Airds Estate and passed a gateway onto the Raiders' Road, at the edge of Forestry Commission's Galloway Forest Park. Passing a thicket of willow shrubs, we were lucky to spot as well as hear a willow warbler. These birds visit Scotland in vast numbers each summer to breed, along with many other warblers such as chiffchaff, garden warbler and less commonly, grasshopper warbler. All can be heard, if not seen on this walk and are most easily recognised by their distinctive calls. However seeing these olive green birds among the leaves in trees is quite tricky, testing many a birder's patience.
A half mile along this stretch of the forest road, we then left the Mossdale Walk and deviated away from paths and tracks onto an unknown, earthy path in the forest clearfell. This path is not way marked and can be difficult to find but gave the group an insight into the hidden approach to the release cages, where wild kites were originally kept and returned to Galloway. This stretch was the hardest to access, as the uneven path crossed piles of brash (branches remaining after trees were felled and extracted from the forest) and was partially hidden by overhanging bracken and grasses. But, with a sense of exploration, the group enjoyed this wilder journey over a short distance before emerging 200 metres later at the 'Secret Cages'. On the later walk, we were also excited to find an adder, Scotland's only breeding snake, possibly counting sheep as it curled up in the shade. Being a timid creature, it soon roused and slithered off into the vegetation. The earlier walk spotted another predator, a weasel, weaving through brash and tussocks of grass, no doubt seeking voles (as would the adder).
The group accessed the cages via a secret entrance (not the approach often used by visitors coming along the waymarked trail from the Bennan viewpoint or Raiders' Road) and stayed for a short break, spotting one or two grasshoppers and common lizards which were basking on the sunlit cage walls. A short presentation and pictures were shown to explain how the red kites were taken from other parts of the UK and Germany and then received and raised in the cages. We paused to listen to a three minute track, provided by the commentary system at the site while having some light refreshments and then returning to the Mossdale Walk, as we came.
We returned to Mossdale village by leaving the Raiders' Road and heading back into Airds Estate, via Garels Wood. This semi-natural oak woodland is a pleasant contrast to the dense spruce plantations we had just passed. With a mix of towering oaks and birch, thickets of hazel shrubs and occasional rowan or ash, more sunlight penetrates to the woodland floor. Bracken dominated the under-storey in the summer but this same wood is carpeted in iridescent blue during April and May. A screeching Jay was heard (just out of view) and the group caught a glimpse of a great spotted woodpecker, undulating in its flight through the canopy. The path followed the edge of Mossdale Loch out of the wood, back onto open fields. More colour was enjoyed with red and white clovers and harebells.
These walks have now been taking place since 2006 and are proving to be popular with a few of our visitors. Mossdale walk can be enjoyed at any time of year. The waymarked trail and leaflet (available at Mossdale's village shop) enable easy direction around this short walk, only 2.5km with shallow gradients. The Secret Cages can also be visited all year round and now have a commentary system installed, to explain the history of the cages.
> Kite Trail Discovery Cycle Ride, cycle tour run by D&G Cyclists Touring Club
Saturday, 15 October 2012 - from 11am to 4pm.
