https://www.threetowners.net/forum/

Something I’ve been meaning to do for a while is start a thread for photos of wildlife in Stevenston. My presence in the area is patchy nowadays, but I’ll endeavour to post photos of anything notable I come across during my local wanders.

First is a photo of a Pale Brindled Beauty, one of 5 moths of this species caught at Ardeer Quarry Local Nature Reserve on Tuesday. It’s a common species in February, but a new species for the site list (the reserve’s moth list currently stands at about 320 species).

Second, this Dipper was singing in Kerelaw Glen on Wednesday. This fast-flowing, reasonably rocky stretch of burn is good habitat for the species, bit I suspect that they’re too shy of humans to breed here regularly.

Iain

Two quality photos. Look forward to more.

Thanks PT. This may be the last photo I post for a bit - I'll be away for a few weeks. This is the Little Egret that's been frequenting Ardeer Quarry Local Nature Reserve for the past couple of weeks. When it's on the reserve, it spends most of its time feeding in the newly-dredged Master Gott. This is probably the same bird that's been overwintering in the Irvine area for the past few months. Like many species in our warming climate, Little Egrets are expanding their range northwards and are becoming increasingly regular visitors to Ayrshire. Although still rare birds this far north, give it another 10 years and they will most likely be a familiar sight in Stevenston's coastal habitats and shallow wetlands.

Iain

If you want to see wildlife, just head down Stevenston X.

This is serious stuff Viv, a little egret in the frying pan with some oinons would be as delicious as a freshwater redshank, lets hope some human predator behaves hisself.

I intend to post photos to this thread as I take them. However, I came across this photo earlier and, seeing as today is a typically gloomy day, I thought I’d post it. It’s a photo taken last summer of a sandy slope covered with tall Oxeye Daisies on the Ardeer Peninsula. (The mixture of deadwood and flowers attracts unusual wasps not too dissimilar to the one pictured by Hughie in his recent topic - although in the UK paper wasps such as Hughie’s aren't found north of Surrey).

Iain

I had been looking for the egret for the past few days with no luck until today. Finally spotted it in Gavin's pond just after lunchtime, it wandered around the edges for a while before moving onto the small island.

I have a few photos I will get round to uploading. Is this the first sighting of this species on Gavin's pond?

Hi,

I'm glad you managed to connect with the bird. Yes, to my knowledge it's the first time the species has been seen at Gavin's Wee Pond. If we ever get the green light from the Council for the new wetland on the reserve, then hopefully this egret will be the first of many on the LNR.

Iain

I've obviously been away too long. Where is Gavin's pond?

JD.

Iain, Great to see this topic. I'm sure Gavin will love to read topics such as this. Also my old pal Eddie Miller from my Ardeer Foundry days (early 1960s) would appreciate this.

I'm informed in later years Eddie worked on security on the ICI gates and was prone to wondering off with a ladder and a few friends, my BIL included to install bird boxes within the ICI complex.

Hi John,

Gavin’s Wee Pond is currently the only pond on the reserve. It was created in the mid-1990s by Gavin McInnes and group (long before I joined the group). I attach an aerial photo with an arrow pointing to the pond in question. The red dots mark the official boundaries of the reserve. Also attached is a photo of the pond from about 5 or 6 years ago.

Iain

Hi Hughie,

Eddie is indeed a bit of a legend and I still come across some of his old next boxes during my wanders around the Ardeer Peninsula (some of which are still used by owls). Unfortunately, I never met him: he sadly passed away at least 8 years ago. I do, however, often meet his widow, Isabella, who walks her dog religiously around the old ICI grounds and is a great raconteur of anecdotes involving Eddie’s many exploits as a wildlife-loving security guard.

Iain