Scozmo's Photery

I always have my phone with me when I’m out walking, I record bird sightings on BirdTrack, I take photographs, sharing photos with family and sometimes, I use it to actually contact people!!!!!

Like “On my way” when I’m heading for home 🙂

I also have Merlin on there, just in case or for when I’m just standing in a bird filled area, see what it might hear. My high tone hearing isn’t great.

So, I decided to share a bunch of photos of my walks on the patch so far, which gives you all a visual hint at where I walk, where different areas are and what dreich can mean 🙂

January 2nd – This is actually the view from the garden, I cannot resist looking and grabbing shots as weather comparisons and just because, we’ve never had such a big sky view.

Also, have you ever seen how big phone photos actually are?????? They’re huge so all of these have been reduced in size, that’s the only edits carried out.

I quite often talk about walking between the sheds ….

There are calving cows in one for the Winter and the beasties keep escaping 🙂

Beyond that one is the first view on my Green Lane Loop walk.

This is the walk I’ve been doing most often because the wildlife camera is on the loop and I can check and download from it during my walk for editing later.

Standing just above the camera location, the first shot looks back along the field to a wonderful sky, the second looks down at the camera, hidden behind the little patch of Gorse on the left.

I’m standing next to the wildcam here, looking back along the reed beds, the lane I walk runs next to that line of trees. This must have been a good photo day down there, the Stonechats, a Robin and sometimes a Goldcrest drop by when I’m there.

From here I cross the reed beds, getting wetter by the day, to that hedge line on the right and follow it back to the lane …… sometimes 🙂

On this day I didn’t take any more shots until I was on the lane itself.

Looking up the lane at the old Oak feeding post on the left and looking back down the lane. Beautiful, cold day.

Talking of the feeding post …

The feeding post is directly to my left in the first shot and …. there it is 🙂 There’s a second old post that I put Red Squirrel food on to the right.

That was all I took on the phone that day.

January 3rd – Back out, same route, another cold and frosty one.

I loved the clean, clear air and the lines created by the frost and snow in the tractor tracks, the second shot shows a panorama view from the same location. Tap or click to view the full panorama.

Part way along is the entrance to the green lane itself, which I haven’t actually been using for a while now, I stay on the field.

I currently carry on following the tractor tracks at the top of the field, below, to the edge of the ploughed area before turning down towards the reed beds. The green lane being to my right behind the Gorse.

Looking ahead and back to the sheds.

And on down the hill to the wildcam area.

Here you see a West facing view of the camera area, it’s secured to that log stump left of centre.

Across the reed beds is a hedge line with a line of trees running back towards those just visible on the left of the shot above.

I just love those trees at the moment, their silhouettes looks amazing.

Onwards to the lane once more, the snow was starting to melt in some areas, no surprise with that glorious sunshine.

I often just stand here and look and listen …… nothing. Birds and silence.

In that gap right at the end, or the portal, as I call it, you can just make out the Buzzard tree. There’s a slight rise from the feeding post to the top of the hill down to the road and the mailbox!

Another panoramic shot of the Buzzard tree, right and the lane leading down through mixed woodland. It was a wee bit treacherous walking down that!

The Buzzard tree makes for wonderful silhouettes.

And on down the hill.

There’s another turnoff around that bend that leads into the woods and downhill to the ponds. I made the mistake of dropping some bird food down there and now a Robin pops up every time i walk by 🙂

I’m guessing that’s as far as I went on this day and my next patch wander was on the 6th.

January 6th – Remember I said the snow was clearing?

Another blah, whiteout kind of day and there had been a wee fall of snow, this I call the junction, hmmmm 🙂 There’s a feeding post on that corner, next to the biggest tree, I tend to stop, if nothing appears, I carry on to the Oak tree.

More snow on the lane and at the feeding post. I walked on down to the turnoff I mentioned previously, to feed the hungry Robin and took this shot looking back up the hill.

I think I’ve mentioned before, it’s quite a workout tackling the hill(s). You can maybe see that it was starting to snow again and I was heading back homewards. None of the snow has been that deep, maybe three/four inches at most but, enough to stop us driving out on that hill!

Passing the reed beds on the lane, looking towards the wildcam area, just beyond that tree slightly right of centre.

January 7th – saw my next wander, I do try to go out every day but if the weather looks or feels too bad, i have a treadmill I often walk on and a lot faster than i ever walk with a camera in hand 🙂

The first thing I liked on this day was the clouds.

Here I am looking down the first hill, I often talk about and photograph birds in the hedge all the way down the right side.

That panorama was taken at the bottom of the hill in the previous shot and shows the field leading along to the wildcam area and the main lane continuing on towards the old Oak, up another hill, I might add 😉

And there it is, the next hill. It was half way up here that I spotted and grabbed a few shots of a Spotted Flycatcher in 2025, the first I’d seen on the patch.

The lane leads on to the junction, just ahead, then on to the old Oak and the Buzzard tree in the distant gap.

Remember it started snowing in my last set? This is probably as deep as it got, just before then at the feeding post in these shots.

A look into the first woodland turning, which is between the feeding post that ever changing view down the lane to the Buzzard tree. Notice the sky? Dreich again 🙂

My last shot on this walk was at 16:05, getting dark.

It’s these short days and poor light that reduce the number of photos I have for January. I am only just realising why I can manage the edit / delete process in these early months, then lose control as the lighter, better days arrive. 🙂

January 8th – Off we go again, I took a wider panorama at the start of the walk AND, it was a really nice day, again.

And a little farther along the walk …

See the fence line in both shots?

And the path ahead, snow makes for a little harder walking.

Again, at the green lane gate, I continue on to the left these days. Beautiful sky.

All change.

That’s the way it often is, a beautiful sunny start followed by more dreich. The only reason I mention dreich is that it reduces the photo taking unless there really is something worth the effort. Many of you will know, dull images can look flat and lifeless and possibly noisier, to counter the dullness, higher ISO used.

I went down to the wildcam, checked and transferred, simply heading back along the field and home on this day.

Even when it’s dreich, there can be great light all around.

January 9th – I have to add, I never tire of this walk. I usually vary the latter part, shorter, longer, down to the ponds and so on.

Essentially the same shot as Jan 8th above but grey light.

This next shot is one I look at all the time but rarely take.

Half way along that snowy walk along the field and looking down towards the reed beds. The junction is right in that left corner at the top of that field.

On this day I crossed the reed beds as usual but, walked up that field to the tallest tree slightly left of centre.

In that shot, I am standing on what we call the top lane, next to the tree I mentioned above and I am looking down into the valley, or Strath beyond, I loved that sky. The following shot is looking back to my start point.

Then along the lane, Westward.

Our car isn’t four-wheel drive, hence we weren’t out in it for a couple of days 🙂

I turned East and walked away from the view above, back to the junction and main lane.

I have just arrived at the junction from my right and we are now looking up towards the old Oak.

Almost to the Buzzard tree, I stopped at the woodland turn for a shot before heading back.

All roads lead to that Buzzard tree…… hmmmmmm.

And homeward once more.

January 10th – I followed the same route but the light was different yet again. I won’t repeat the same shots 🙂

You can see in that shot, the difference the cloud cover makes and the odd break allowing the sun to filter through can be wonderful, this was at 10:38am.

I walked all the way to the Buzzard tree without much being taken; I enjoy those walks too, more of a walk than a slow wander with a camera.

I went down to the mailbox on this walk, it’s a mile from the house 🙂

January 13th – the snow was all but gone!

However, ice was replacing it in places so we had to be careful heading out in the car or even walking.

January 16th – See, it’s not every day that I’m out there 🙂

What a difference huh? I have my back to the wildcam in this shot, looking back up the field towards the green lane area.

January 17th – last one, i promise. Yesterday i forced myself out for a walk, it wasn’t a particularly nice day but the need for fresh air and …. you never know, right?

I made it all the way to the wildcam without slipping on my butt, it’s really wet and muddy in the fields right now.

Standing at the wildcam, i looked East-ish and the sky was dark and foreboding.

I crossed the reed beds and walked up the field again onto the top lane, no idea why, just because 🙂

Looking down into the Strath once again, a low and light mist hung right along it.

All the way down to the Buzzard tree …

There is actually some colour in the sky, just very washed out, I went down to the last woodland turnoff then back up and the sky had darkened.

Hints of the setting Sun were breaking through further along the Strath.

I dropped back down to the reed beds and the light along the hilltops was quite ethereal but I had gone beyond a good point to capture that with the camera.

The burn that runs through the reed beds has been quite swollen with all the melting snow and rainfall we’ve had. That’ll teach me to hope it rains enough to refill the reservoir! Planning a trip up there next week to see if there’s been any rise in the water levels.

Back up the hill towards home…

There was quite a nice, subdued sunset going on but, notice that mist creeping in?

Later on I remembered and set up a camera to capture it.

The difficulty here of course, the light is failing so I couldn’t just walk away and leave it.

And so, finally, a panorama view over the fields towards the Angus glens as the mist sneaks in.

I do hope this hasn’t been too long or boring. trying to relay some of the areas I’m currently walking in and phone photos are the easiest way to capture all those views quickly without constantly adjusting the camera, which I also do anyway, sometimes.

Thank you for staying the course if you made it here 🙂

Keep ye all safe and well.

patch photos