dumfries & galloway

[gus guthrie]

Am intending to go down to Dumfries & Galloway this coming weekend ( 7th & 8th Aug. ) with my daughter Alex to try for Willow Tit & Nuthatch, any help in locating these birds or other birds of that region would be greatly appreciated.
Am told that Nightjar is a possibility as is Golden Pheasant , though not sure how dated this information is.
Hoping someone might have been there recently and be able to help.
regards, gus & alex

[Nicola Main]

Hi Gus. Dumfries & Galloway is my favourite place in the whole of Scotland and I'm sure you'll have a lovely time there. We went on holiday there last year and stayed at a cottage called West Holmhead where one day we saw a Nuthatch on the peanut feeder outside. For seeing Nuthatch and Willow Tit I would suggest the Ken-dee Marshes on the left side of Loch Ken which is an RSPB reserve. You could also visit the Red Kite Feeding Station at Bellymack which is just down the road from Ken-dee. A fantastic experience! Drumlanrig Castle has some Nuthatches too I believe. For Nightjar head to Clatteringshaws where there is a Visitor Centre, they have a Nightjar Night in June so they are definitely in that area but seeing one will be a matter of luck. I'm not sure if Golden Pheasant is still present in the region or not, in my 'Where to watch Birds in Scotland' book (third edition) it says they are at Kirroughtree which is just south of Newton Stewart, but we have been there twice on separate occasions and never saw or heard from anyone that they were there, but we could have been looking in the wrong area. I would also recommend you visit Glen Trool, Wood of Cree, and Mersehead. Hope this has helped a little, Nicola.

[gus guthrie]

Thank you for the information Nicola, looking forward to going down there. It is a part of scotland I really don't know very well. I found a website which provided a download of birdwatching sites in Dumfries & Galloway, hopefully we will see some good birds.
regards, gus.