SOLWAY: Galloway Forest Park.

The old viaduct near Stroan Loch, Galloway Forest Park, Dumfries & Galloway.

Otters Pool near the Raider's Road, Galloway National Forest, Dumfries & Galloway.

OK fair enough, it's not really the Solway but we often venture inland to the Galloway Forest Park for a day or two when in D&G. July's not a great time for birds and just about everything had stopped singing. Apart from a load of Crossbills that is ..... no big flocks but just about every stop had some chipping away or even singing. I sat overlooking one of my favourite patches of forest watching Crossbills of various colours for a while and just as I was beginning to get bored I caught a flash of white on at least one of the birds dropping into the canopy. Trouble was I saw it well, I had my 'scope at hand and knew damn well it was just a Chaffinch. Double white wing bar though, chance to ignore the white outer tail feathers, brief distant views, blah, blah, blah ....... Two-barred Chaffinch!

Golden-ringed Dragonfly, Galloway Forest Park, July 2009.

Back on planet Earth we decided to search around the stream for Golden-ringed Dragonflies and found a few pretty quickly. One of my favourite insects, a sort of "Odonata Skua" with their marauding low level flights over the rushing streams. Apart from the Crossbills the birds few and far between. Spotted Flycatcher, always a noteworthy bird in my opinion, flew across the clear fell while I was indulging in fantasy birding about rare crossbills and Whitethroats have invaded this habitat now they've occupied just about every available hedgerow too. Star bird was undoubtedly the Goshawk that gave us magnificent views however. Big place the forest park so not giving anything away here and as Chris Baines commented - "Lucky to see one in July; usually think your chances are over after March".

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