A town like Alyth

At this time of year, it is nigh on impossible to suppress the urge for dappled sunlight through Beech leaves. Add in a wide, shallow burn, sinuously flowing through the scene and the only option is to give in to temptation. We found a woodland car park at the Den o' Alyth, set off on a circuitous path through the valley, with the plan to make the mid point of the walk a lunch stop in the town of Alyth itself.

Dipper

A female Mallard

On a woodland bench, a Common Footman moth caterpillar, a teeny-tiny forager of algae and lichen

Breathe...

Let the tension gently subside

As well as lovely views of Dipper, we had seen several Grey Wagtails, as they hunted for invertebrates along the burn. During one of our frequent pauses, letting the tranquillity seep into our souls, Megan suddenly exclaimed, "There's a Grey Wagtail up in that tree!"

Stood a few feet away, I was unsighted by another tree trunk, so was initially sceptical, especially when a Great Tit flew out of the approximate area indicated by my partner. So then there was an increasingly fractious Grey Wagtail versus Great Tit debate until we realised that we were looking at two different birds. No sooner had I spotted the "correct" bird than it was photobombed by a Treecreeper, not a typical habitat combination of avian colleagues.

Another Dipper

Wandering out of the woodland, we found a cafe with tables outside, serving wonderful salads, and there might haven been some scrumptious cake. Then we resumed our walk along the burn, which also flows through the centre of Alyth and is criss-crossed by umpteen small bridges. Even here, there were Dippers and Grey Wagtails to be seen (helpfully by the burn, not in the trees!). The second photo has the wagtails ringed on the left, and the Dipper on the right.

Alyth Parish Church

Heading back to the car, the path took us through an adventure playground. Alongside this was an unmown area within a scallop created by a low cliff of the gorge. It was teeming with Orange Tip, Green-veined White, Peacock and Comma butterflies, all basking in the warm sunshine or nectaring on the many flowers of Dandelion, Garlic Mustard, Bluebell and Cuckooflower.

Comma butterfly

We had been given a recommendation to visit the Loch of Lintrathen, a reservoir in Glen Isla, which as well as supplying water for Dundee, is used by the local angling club, and also has many environmental designations for its wildlife. We went to one of two hides by the loch, choosing the one at the quieter eastern end. Judging by the graffiti on the walls and door of the wooden structure, it must be occasionally frequented by young folk with a better grasp of human reproductive anatomy than their Biology exam results would indicate, but we concentrated on watching all the Ospreys, Great Crested Grebes, a Jay and a very distant White-tailed Eagle. At one point, a Roebuck wandered out of the woodland onto the loch shore to graze on the lush vegetation. It found a fallen branch to play with, perhaps practising for the upcoming rutting season, although judging by its unsuccessful attempts, I think the branch probably won.

Osprey

Osprey with... prey

Before returning to our cottage, we visited a nearby waterfall, Reekie Linn, where the River Isla plunges 24m in a couple of cascades. This supplied yet more Dippers and Grey Wagtails, all where you'd expect them to be, on rocks in the river.

 

Then it was time to unwind and chill on the patio of the cottage, trying not to scare the wee mouse which we noticed foraging on the ground under the bird feeders. One of the local Robins was decidedly unimpressed by this blatant theft of food, but the mouse was way too quick for it!