Visit to Yarrow Valley Country Park, 12 July 2016

By | August 25, 2016

It was the bird watching group’s first visit to Yarrow Valley and everyone who came was impressed with the interest and variety of landscape found there. From the Visitor Centre we walked up above the valley floor to Burgh Meadows where the grass reached well over six feet tall. We struggled to identify birdsong, but were surrounded by a carpet of wild flowers; thank you Brian for carefully identifying them all (see separate log at the end of this report).

The dull cloudy weather also made bird recognition difficult but we saw meadow pipits, magpies and swifts, and heard linnets in the bushy trees. When we dropped down through woodland to the large reservoir, great crested grebe, black headed gulls, common tern, house martins, and Canada geese were present. The walk along the River Yarrow to the weir had the promise of kingfishers and dippers, (a promise not kept), but high in the trees we saw Jays and in the dappled river margins grey wagtails foraged.

Definitely worth another visit!

Full list of bird sightings:

Species Number Seen
Blackbird 1
Black-headed Gull 10
Canada Goose 15
Common Tern 2
Coot 5
Hybrid Duck 2
Great Crested Grebe 2
Grey Wagtail 3
Herring Gull 1
House Martin 15
Jay 2
Linnet 1
Magpie 2
Mallard 20
Meadow Pipit 1
Moorhen 5
Mute Swan 1
Swift 5
Woodpigeon 2

 

Brian’s list of the commoner wild flowers seen:

Herb Bennet
Herb Robert
Self Heal
Red Campion
Meadow Buttercup
Creeping Buttercup
Meadow Vetchling
Tufted Vetch
White Clover
Red Clover
Marsh Thistle
Red Bartsia
Bird’s Foot Trefoil
Agrimony
Yellow Rattle
Lady’s Bedstraw
St. John’s Wort
Corn Marigold
Cornflower
Poppy
Scented Mayweed
Ox-eye Daisy
Common Spotted Orchid
Common Ragwort
Marsh Willowherb
Great Horsetail
Himalayan Balsam
Comfrey
Enchanter’s Nightshade
Nipplewort
Hemp Agrimony

 

Last Updated on August 25, 2016