The Kame of Corrigall

Today with it being the last day of the holidays I thought I would try a walk up the back track to the Kame of Corrigal. This is a hill top at the back of Dounby. The last time I had been there must have been twenty five years ago in the dirt bike days so it was all kinda new. Twenty five years ago I would have laughed at the thought of me walking in the hills for recreation and now I wouldn’t even consider taking a bike across the hill at this time of year, changed days I suppose. There is a public path that follows peat tracks nearly all the way so its looks to be not to bad going.
On arriving I walk up the track from the road rather than riding up to the wind turbine as there are fields of grazing grass either side. As soon as the helmets off the skylarks are evident from their song and even with a strong fresh breeze blowing it’s a nice bright day and good to be walking. Either side of me has skylarks and meadow pipits. Its all go as I walk through endless territorial disputes, posturing and amours chases. Wheatears begin to appere along the track and soon I have seen two females and a mail. Pairs of geese seem to be every where you go at the moment but theres lapwings seeing of gulls and curlews bubbling. Its is a very pleasant walk up to the moor edge. This approach is dominated by the windmill which grows larger and larger yet is silent whilst the wind is behind us. On the left is a ploughed field . I have been searching ploughed fields for weeks and finding little of migratory interest but in the distance there is a couple of birds just besides an oystercatcher. Looking at hem with the bins they are golden plover , a quick scan across the field reveals a fair old flock of them. They are resting not really feeding mostly hunkered down facing towards the wind. They are on the far side of the narrow field and the wind is side on as I set the scope up. There is a high bank giving excellent cover and the sun is over my shoulder so I have two out of three. Scoping the flock has some of the birds reacting to the big eye passing over with heads looking round and some neck stretching. They may be resting but they are well aware I am over here doing something. The scope is giving up some fairly wobbly views. Getting photos is a bit tricky as the scope feels more like hanging on to a sailboard than any sort of optical instrument but I persevere. Its worth is as the birds are looking superb as they are just finishing moulting in to their summer plumage. When you see them passing through in the autumn they are so often already moulted to their winter plumage so this is the years best opportunity to see them at their stunning and dramatic best. This dry and dusty field must also look the wintering grounds of the wheatear because ther were more wheatears across this ground that I have seen for the last two weeks put together. Cant hang out there any longer tho and I am up and off. The track leads in to the moors proper now with heather spreading out on both sides as far as the eye can see, as long as you don’t look behind that is. Within half a mile the track is running quite deeply cut in the heather. Endless generations have used this peat for fuel carting it out along a long since overgrown and lost network of tracks. Walking along a better maintained track is quite good going as this is the main artery that the traffic on this side of the valley. It is a nice experience the view seems to give a more intimate feel to the heather, pipits and skylarks are les disturbed when you have your eyes at the same level. I think they regard you as less of an intimidating towering giant and more as something they can challenge and respond to. Marching on through pipit world I pas the first marker a track joining from the right. Skirting flooded sections I start looking for a right turn that is to take me to the top of the hill. The marker is a stab with an arrow pointing the way. This is straight up along the face of an old peat bank. Its over grown but passable but I star to struggle with my breath again. I must admit I have had a rest already with some angina. A bit of a rest and some nitro spray. Some times it strikes me that im so full of nitro glycerine that I might fall over and go boom..lol. The heavy going soon stops and the track restablishes its self. A steady tread soon has the views enlarged with a bit of altitude. The heather covered hill sides and vally are spread before me looking rich in the sun. It is surprising that there is such a lack of big birds but apart from my first bonxie of the year and a couple of curlews here and there is very little doing. I would have thought that the amount of pipits and the wind flowing u and over the adjacent hillsides would have been irresistible to a harrier or short eared owl but through out the whole walk none were to be seen. On the final stretch to reach the top of the hill a couple of red grouse shot up from very close making their clucking gargling calls. Finally cresting the rise the view of the west mainland is revealed all be it somewhat disappointingly swathed in a Leary misty haze. Stenness and Harray lochs stretch out with Bosquoy and the Shunan looking really nice. It is an impressive vista and I cant go back without some photos so I crack off a few and retreat out of the wind to enjoy a seat and an apple. It has taken me two hours to get up, retracing my steps back downhill things pass a lot faster. Nothing much was to happen until I was almost out of the moor. Coming towards me there were a couple of walkers with a barking dog having a whale of a time. The dogs commotion put up several pairs of low flying geese. Attracted buy all of this a bonxie swooped between us all looking for some opportunity for something to eat. It was close in and looked sharp and in superb condition. All in al it gave a nice view. As I come out the hill beside the windmill I see the folks car I was just saying hello to thinking that their barky dog would have put up the plovers I am well pleased to find them still there. Walking well down the track to get the sun behind me I settle to sit rest and scope the birds. It is the antics of pewits nesting alongside a small common gull colony that has me watching then in front of this skylarks and wheatears. All of this is on the opposite side to the plover which I now turn my attention. I now set the scope on the plover and am fumbling with the camera in my pocket when sharp single alarm calls ring out, the plovers all take to the air. As I wonder if it was me that spooked them a ringtail fly’s along the fence line slowly looking for prey below. It moves off across the scrub ground an away to the heather, the flock is now split in two circle the field at either end. Looking at the south end I realise the flock there is being intimidated by a Merlin. I have seen them doing this before they have no chance of bringing down a plover but they will get in there and mix it. It is soon gone tho and they once again start to settle on the same field. Conditions are no better for photos so I get a move on once again and finally reach the bike. A nice walk out but its defiantly time for a coffee!!!!Today with it being the last day of the holidays I thought I would try a walk up the back track to the Kame of Corrigal. This is a hill top at the back of Dounby. The last time I had been there must have been twenty five years ago in the dirt bike days so it was all kinda new. Twenty five years ago I would have laughed at the thought of me walking in the hills for recreation and now I wouldn’t even consider taking a bike across the hill at this time of year, changed days I suppose. There is a public path that follows peat tracks nearly all the way so its looks to be not to bad going.
On arriving I walk up the track from the road rather than riding up to the wind turbine as there are fields of grazing grass either side. As soon as the helmets off the skylarks are evident from their song and even with a strong fresh breeze blowing it’s a nice bright day and good to be walking. Either side of me has skylarks and meadow pipits. Its all go as I walk through endless territorial disputes, posturing and amours chases. Wheatears begin to appere along the track and soon I have seen two females and a mail. Pairs of geese seem to be every where you go at the moment but theres lapwings seeing of gulls and curlews bubbling. Its is a very pleasant walk up to the moor edge. This approach is dominated by the windmill which grows larger and larger yet is silent whilst the wind is behind us. On the left is a ploughed field . I have been searching ploughed fields for weeks and finding little of migratory interest but in the distance there is a couple of birds just besides an oystercatcher. Looking at hem with the bins they are golden plover , a quick scan across the field reveals a fair old flock of them. They are resting not really feeding mostly hunkered down facing towards the wind. They are on the far side of the narrow field and the wind is side on as I set the scope up. There is a high bank giving excellent cover and the sun is over my shoulder so I have two out of three. Scoping the flock has some of the birds reacting to the big eye passing over with heads looking round and some neck stretching. They may be resting but they are well aware I am over here doing something. The scope is giving up some fairly wobbly views. Getting photos is a bit tricky as the scope feels more like hanging on to a sailboard than any sort of optical instrument but I persevere. Its worth is as the birds are looking superb as they are just finishing moulting in to their summer plumage. When you see them passing through in the autumn they are so often already moulted to their winter plumage so this is the years best opportunity to see them at their stunning and dramatic best. This dry and dusty field must also look the wintering grounds of the wheatear because ther were more wheatears across this ground that I have seen for the last two weeks put together. Cant hang out there any longer tho and I am up and off. The track leads in to the moors proper now with heather spreading out on both sides as far as the eye can see, as long as you don’t look behind that is. Within half a mile the track is running quite deeply cut in the heather. Endless generations have used this peat for fuel carting it out along a long since overgrown and lost network of tracks. Walking along a better maintained track is quite good going as this is the main artery that the traffic on this side of the valley. It is a nice experience the view seems to give a more intimate feel to the heather, pipits and skylarks are les disturbed when you have your eyes at the same level. I think they regard you as less of an intimidating towering giant and more as something they can challenge and respond to. Marching on through pipit world I pas the first marker a track joining from the right. Skirting flooded sections I start looking for a right turn that is to take me to the top of the hill. The marker is a stab with an arrow pointing the way. This is straight up along the face of an old peat bank. Its over grown but passable but I star to struggle with my breath again. I must admit I have had a rest already with some angina. A bit of a rest and some nitro spray. Some times it strikes me that im so full of nitro glycerine that I might fall over and go boom..lol. The heavy going soon stops and the track restablishes its self. A steady tread soon has the views enlarged with a bit of altitude. The heather covered hill sides and vally are spread before me looking rich in the sun. It is surprising that there is such a lack of big birds but apart from my first bonxie of the year and a couple of curlews here and there is very little doing. I would have thought that the amount of pipits and the wind flowing u and over the adjacent hillsides would have been irresistible to a harrier or short eared owl but through out the whole walk none were to be seen. On the final stretch to reach the top of the hill a couple of red grouse shot up from very close making their clucking gargling calls. Finally cresting the rise the view of the west mainland is revealed all be it somewhat disappointingly swathed in a Leary misty haze. Stenness and Harray lochs stretch out with Bosquoy and the Shunan looking really nice. It is an impressive vista and I cant go back without some photos so I crack off a few and retreat out of the wind to enjoy a seat and an apple. It has taken me two hours to get up, retracing my steps back downhill things pass a lot faster. Nothing much was to happen until I was almost out of the moor. Coming towards me there were a couple of walkers with a barking dog having a whale of a time. The dogs commotion put up several pairs of low flying geese. Attracted buy all of this a bonxie swooped between us all looking for some opportunity for something to eat. It was close in and looked sharp and in superb condition. All in al it gave a nice view. As I come out the hill beside the windmill I see the folks car I was just saying hello to thinking that their barky dog would have put up the plovers I am well pleased to find them still there. Walking well down the track to get the sun behind me I settle to sit rest and scope the birds. It is the antics of pewits nesting alongside a small common gull colony that has me watching then in front of this skylarks and wheatears. All of this is on the opposite side to the plover which I now turn my attention. I now set the scope on the plover and am fumbling with the camera in my pocket when sharp single alarm calls ring out, the plovers all take to the air. As I wonder if it was me that spooked them a ringtail fly’s along the fence line slowly looking for prey below. It moves off across the scrub ground an away to the heather, the flock is now split in two circle the field at either end. Looking at the south end I realise the flock there is being intimidated by a Merlin. I have seen them doing this before they have no chance of bringing down a plover but they will get in there and mix it. It is soon gone tho and they once again start to settle on the same field. Conditions are no better for photos so I get a move on once again and finally reach the bike. A nice walk out but its defiantly time for a coffee!!!!