South West Scotland 2021: Part Twenty Two

26 September 2021

I woke up to realise I wasn’t going to get lucky with the bay this morning either. I had totally missed high tide, and the sky was covered with cloud again. A little disappointed, I basically just packed up and left.

My first aim was going to be Dundrennan Abbey. I arrived just before they opened, but as I looked at it, I realised it wasn’t going to be a shot for me today. Not only was it a pay to get into monument – which I don’t generally do unless its a site I’m really keen to visit – (I’d be super poor If I did them all!) but there didn’t seem to be a clear shot of it from any direction. With high walls, trees, and private land to one side. I took one cursory snap on the phone from the only spot with a clear view, then moved on to my next location. In hindsight, I could probably have gotten a formal shot from here, but to be honest, it didn’t really captivate me, and there’s nothing really wrong with my phone photo that my Canon would have made different.

My next spot was Threave Castle. This one was a really a nice location and had a lot of promise. For me today however, a strong breeze continually blew the small boat into a poor position, the sky looked grey – flattening everything and River barked endlessly at every passing pedestrian. This last one stressed me out terribly. My attention was so split, I missed a really gorgeous shot, which frustrated me even more. Hauling the dog in and making her look at me to curb her distraction, I sat and just waited for the boat to bob back from behind the tree, and the sun to try again…please?!. I tried hard for an hour to stop the frustration and stress getting worse, and eventually decided that I had waited long enough. I stood up to pack everything away when a brief glimmer of sun appeared, swept across the scene and was then gone for good. I barely caught it in two shots (one with light on the boat, and a second as it wiped across to, and over, the castle behind) This site needed something prettier going on in the sky I felt, a long exposure perhaps, to smooth an otherwise distracting water and definately a visit without River getting angsty! I left disappointed, but once I managed to blend the two photos I had, I think I feel a little better about this one.

On the day however, sadened, frustrated and getting fed up of the continual grey and a ratty dog, I left to go to the kite feeding station. There were bird hides at Threave, but I couldn’t visit those with River being this way, so perhaps seeing Kites in a controlled situation might offer a bit of bird spotting and a chance at trying bird photography. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but everyone here was lovely which helped my mood greatly. I paid my £5 entry and settled into a position outside to wait until the birds were hungry, while River settled under my coffee table staying relatively settled.

The people who run the farm, coffee shop and kite feeding sessions, put chunks of raw meet out at 2ish, and at first the kites didn’t seem interested. 20 minutes later I noticed that they had all started gathering above my head. There were so many it was almost scary! (see header) Watching Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’ as a child, clearly has me traumatised to this day! As we waited, one suddenly dipped down to the raw meat, grabbing a bit in his talons and flying off somewhere to eat it. Then another…. and a third! Once the first few started, the others went for it and soon they all started swooping to the table and floor.

What a spectacular display!!!

I tried my hardest to capture these beautiful birds, filling my memory card right up, but I knew that nearly every shot failed due to my inadequacy as a bird photographer. I didn’t care though, I was just loving every second! When other spectators had their bird watching appetite sated, they slowly drifted away. But I stayed put, mesmorised by these magnificent creatures. Three hours flew past (literally!) and despite dropping temperatures and bouts of rain and I found myself staying until the coffee shop was nearly closed and I was the only one left.

As I packed up, the coffee shop lady came out and told me I could stay as long as I wanted, as several birds were still feeding. I was cold by now though and needed to be indoors for a few minutes. I bought a last chance cup of tea, and a slice of cake, and watched from the window for a short while. Then as the shop closed proper, I went for a brief walk around the hill next to the farm, not really wanting to leave these beauties, before I eventually left for the Dhoon.

I wanted a picture of a boat wreck that is apparently here, but when I arrived, the tide was very high. So high, I couldn’t see the boat at all. I made myself some tea, thinking to wait it out, but an hour later I realised that the tide seemed to go out much slower than at other areas around here. The boat could only really be gotten to when the tide was fully out… and that was now clearly unlikely to happen until after dark. I considered staying the night, but there were big posters everywhere asking people not to. Despite the Park for Night App having comments from people flagarently and boastfully ignoring them, I considered it a lack of respect since I knew I could find parking elsewhere for the night. Instead, I started my drive towards tomorrow’s locations.

Eventually finding myself tiring, I settled myself in a quiet lay by until I could continue in the morning.