birds around melrose, the scottish borders

Did some bird-watching - mainly on the River Tweed at Melrose and at one of the small lochs (known as the Stoney Knowes Moss) up in the hills beyond Gattonside.

The photos are all with my camera's zoom, which at times is very inadequate! Thus, the blurry photos in some cases... most cases actually. I've tried to identify the birds using the RSPB website's fantastic bird-identifier.

Grey Heron (I am too thrilled that I spotted a Grey Heron!!!)

Coot (below two photos)

Common Sandpiper (below three photos)

Mallard (male) (below)
(the most common of ducks - I was struck by the blue under its wings - don't quite remember noticing that before!)

Mix of Common Gulls and Herring Gulls I think (below two photos)

Black-headed Gull (summer plumage) (below)

Oystercatcher (below three photos)



Chaffinch (male) (below two photos)

Below seems to be either a Chaffinch (female) or a Bullfinch (juvenile)

random glasgow photos

I met up with my friend Romi in Glasgow and had a full day here. We spent some leisurely time in the Glasgow Cathedral (photos here) and the Necropolis in the morning, had a lunch of fantastic burgers at The Blackfriars pub, and then walked about in some of the city-centre areas.

Wednesday afternoon at George Square, centre of Glasgow - loved the square!

Buchanan Street, one of Glasgow's main shopping streets, is jam-packed on a Wednesday afternoon. Sleepy after having had a good burger, I attempted a half-hearted photo of the street
(p.s: the street is named after Andrew Buchanan, a wealthy tobacco merchant who owned the land on which the street was built)

We spent some of the afternoon checking out kilt and tartan shops on Buchanan Street since my friend was looking for something specific. I finally sucuumbed and ended up buying a beautiful lambswool scarf weaved in the Lindsay Ancient tartan.
Quite simply, tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours, and from around the mid-19th century, specific tartans came to be associated with specific Scottish clans (so the Lindsays are a clan).

The tourist industry has gone a bit nuts with this Scottish clans stuff - selling keychains, magnets, pens, with clan names and clan crests on them... also individual booklets with each clan's history... and even some generic blended Scottish whisky in tiny bottles with clan names and crests on them (so you can see the Lindsay one towards the top right)

Below is a shop-window of the Jack Wills store on Buchanan Street, marketing Wills & Kate mugs in the frenzied anticipation of the royal wedding. Also notice they brand themselves as "outfitters to the gentry" - number of articles on the net about this branding: here and here and here.

Merchant City, an area of Glasgow's city centre, which has some beautiful historic buildings (whose photographs I have neglected to take)

From what I could gather the area came to be known as Merchant City around the 1980s when plans to revitalize the area began. Attempts are on to redevelop it.. gentrify it... as a creative and artistic quarter. I do want to read this article when I get the time (its past midnight and I should stop blogging and sleep!).

In the evening met up with a friend from Glasgow for drinks and dinner. Stuart took us to the Pot Still, a whisky bar where he'd taken my bro as well. Romi discovered hairy whisky and I think, didn't think too well of it. But the smoother one she liked. As for me, I had a real nice and smooth whisky, though I must admit that these days I'm not feeling very attracted to alcohol.

Next morning, on my way-too-quick walk along a tiny stretch of the Clyde river, I spotted The Tiger

Then had to rush to George Square to meet Romi and catch a train to Stirling. So while I liked the feel of Glasgow, I couldn't absorb it enough in a day. Should've had one more day!

glasgow cathedral / st mungo's cathedral

ardmore forest, isle of mull

The Shore-walk in the Ardmore Forest was the other walk I did on the Isle of Mull. Had to walk approx. 2 miles from Tobermory on main roads to get to the start of the walk since I didn't have a car. And then the Shore-walk itself was about 5 miles in total. So all in all, I had a good long walk with some easy ups and downs from Tobermory and back.

Much of the walk towards the shore wasn't so very picturesque because the trail went along bare areas where controlled logging had been done. It seems that every time the trees reach maturity, they are felled as part of a tree harvesting programme.

But the walk is well worth it. It takes you.. well, to the shore. I think its called Ardmore Point. The coastline here is wonderful and when I got right to the edge, there wasn't a soul in sight.

Was the most peaceful spot I've ever been to. There was a beautiful stillness to the place that I can't describe. I could've sat there dreamily for the entire afternoon just looking at the water, the shore, the birds (but couldn't since I had to reach Oban that day)

an Oystercatcher (not a good photo, but its the best I could manage with my camera)

On the way back, the walk went through the forest which was wonderful - I think these trees will be cut down during a tree harvesting cycle so the forest areas in Ardmore keep changing.

birdy in tobermory

The bird would just not sit still for more than a second but ultimately I got a few good photos, some of which precisely because the bird wouldn't stay still. My absolutely favorite photo first... just as the bird was going to take off...


This is the European Robin (Erithacus rubecula) and both the male and female look identical. The Indian male robin, on the other hand, is a fully black bird and the female is a fully brown one. Many thanks to Abhijit Ekbote, a bird-watcher friend, who told me this.

tobermory, isle of mull

Tobermory is along the northern edge of the Isle of Mull: how much more picturesque can a town possibly get?
I had only 24 hours in Mull/Tobermory thanks to missing a ferry from Oban and having to stay there the night, but still it was worth the 24 hours: some of which I spent hanging about Tobermory and doing the easy Shore-walk, and some of which I spent doing a longer walk to the Ardmore forest (next post)

the fish-and chips stall at the Tobermory pier

having lunch on the pier

Fishing nets used for crabs/lobsters (the red building houses the Scottish Youth Hotel)


Tobermory's famous cat thats got a facebook page devoted to it - well, one of two cats, according to the fish-and-chips stallowner; this one is called Ladoig (if I remember the name correctly) while his borther's called Tobermory

A pic of Tobermory from the Shore-walk

a morning in oban

outside an art studio (above & below)

a flower-filled garden

view from McCaig's Tower of oban and some islands beyond