All-year interest with a variety of woodland species
Lots of birdwatchers tend to visit woodlands in spring, to hear birdsong and get better views of the birds before the leaves fully cover the trees, but they are 12 month of the year locations with a lot going on at other times, such as scanning through tit flocks to find a rarity or to find winter thrushes, not forgetting the charm of the various mammals using the wood. JOHN MILES
WHERE TO WATCH
1 As you approach the wood from the B796 out of Gatehouse of Fleet, you drop down a narrow road crossing the River Fleet. This is a great place to look along the river for
Dipper and Grey Wagtails. There is an Otter Pool up-river and maybe you can spot a Goosander as well!
2 A small pull-in allows you to park by a path and sign for the Scottish Wildlife Trust, which owns the wood. This mature Oak wood was once used for making charcoal and supplying the local mill with bobbins. It now houses one of the best populations of Pied Flycatchers in Scotland, with many ringing returns from around Britain and even abroad.
3
Nestboxes allow you to watch the birds coming to feed their young, but the wood has a great mixture of other birds like Wood and Willow Warblers nesting on the ground by the many footpaths. Even the stone walls can house a Redstart; listen for woodpeckers drumming.
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The steep paths allow you some great images of a mature woodland, from Bluebells in the spring to fungi in the autumn, not forgetting the colours as the trees shed their leaves. Listen for Jays calling as they look for acorns to spread around the area. One Jay can move around 7,000 acorns per year!
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A minor road runs along the bottom of the wood, which allows you to walk back on the flat. This is ideal for scanning over the wood looking for raptors, or hirundines across the fields back towards the river. You can also see a mixture of tree species along the road. See if you can identify them.