Lunar eclipse

Bbbrrr, it's cold out there!

If you have never witnessed a lunar eclipse then there is still time, just! Clear skies over Galloway this morning and great views of the eclipse happening right now.

Keep warm and have a great day!

Yogi

Magical Meteors!

Last nights Dark Sky Park event was brilliant. We enjoyed a very interesting and inspiring talk given by Dr Merek Kukula and then we headed outside for a spot of meteor watching, not before a lovely cup of coffee and yummy mince pies provided by the local Glentrool community.

We couldn't have asked for better weather, with clear, dark skies providing a dramatic backdrop to the many meteors we witnessed shooting through the sky, and that was in the first 10 minutes of arriving! Steve Owens the Galloway Dark Sky Park Development officer and Dr Martin Hendry gave us a tour of the many stars and constellations above our heads, punctuated by wows as meteors shot passed.

Thank you to all those who came along, here's to the next event! (which will be on the 10th January 2011. Time and location to be confirmed, watch this space!)

If you didn't manage to make it last night we hope you can join us at a future Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park event.

Yogi

Meteor watch and talk

Photo by James Hilder

Monday the 13th December 2010, 7pm start.

Glentrool school

Join Forestry Commission Scotland and guests to hear what goes bump in the night sky and then watch the spectacular Geminids meteor shower. Marek Kukula public observer from the Greenwich Observatory will wow you with the catastrophic collisions in space.

Please wrap up very warm bring hats, gloves and anything else to keep you toasty whilst we are out side. A torch is a good idea too (preferably with a red lamp or covered with red cellophane).

See you there

Yogi

Christmas at Kirroughtree

3 days to go until Santa arrives at Kirroughtree - 10.30 on Saturday 11th December!!

Not long to go now before Santa arrives and our Real Christmas Tree sales get under way at the visitor centre. There will also be wreaths to buy and 2 Christmas themed trails to enjoy. Along with festive refreshments, carol singers on Saturday at 1pm and Samba band performances Sunday afternoon.

So come along to Kirroughtree on Saturday/Sunday and kick start your Christmas this weekend!

See you there
Yogi

Christmas at Kirroughtree

5 days to go until Santa visits us at Kirroughtree visitor this weekend! Lets hope he manages to make it through the snow and ice.

It is very icy in many places in Galloway, and of course the rest of the country. If you are planning to visit the Galloway Forest Park to enjoy a woodland walk this week please keep this in mind and take extra care.

It was minus 7 this morning, bbbbrrrr!

Yogi

Photography and Textiles

Looking for that special Christmas gift? Then come along to Kirroughtree this weekend 4th and 5th November for a one off joint event by two local artists.

Prints, wildlife t shirts, wall hangings, quilts and much more.

11 - 4pm both days.

Yogi

Crisp and Clear

Longtailed tits flitting about from one tree to another at Penninghame pond today.

They are fantastic wee birds and with all the leaves off the trees now you have a much better chance of actually seeing them! (this is a picture I took a few days ago)

But wrap up warm, it's still very crisp and frosty out there!

Yogi

This weekend!

Craft Fair this weekend at Kirroughtree visitor centre (27th and 28th November 11am - 4pm)

Looking for that special gift? Come along to the Kirroughtree visitor centre to find an array of quality hand crafted goods all produced locally.

With a selection of candles, castles, festive happy snails, Christmas decorations, knitwear, jewellery, photography, preserves, weaving and more; the craft fair offers something for all the family.

See you there!
Yogi

Brrr it's cold!

Last night saw the thickest frost in the Forest Park so far this winter (can I say winter already?)
There is snow on the hills and ice on the trees and shrubs which is very picturesque.
Here are a couple of pictures taken at Clatteringshaws this mroning just before the rain, then the hailstorm started.

Dark Sky Galloway

The weekends Astro Fest went really well with many enjoying the variety of activities that were led. I have attached some pictures for you to see what the planetarium looks like and one picture on a short talk about comets.

We are already planning for the next Astro Fest which is scheduled for December so not far away at all and it will coincide with a big meteor shower around that time too.

Keep looking at our website and this blog for more information.

Bye for now

Yogi

Dark Sky Park - Astro Fest

Tonight is the first of a 3 day event this weekend on all things astro! The weekend plans to deliver a very interesting line up including talks, planetarium shows, comet making and night sky viewing with the experts.

Tonight

7pm Dark Sky Scotland Planetarium Show (45mins)

9pm Stargazing led by Dark Sky Scotland.

Both activities are being held at the Douglas Ewart High School in Newton Stewart and places are given on a first come first served basis so make sure you arrive nice and early. And its free!

For more information visit our web page www.forestry.gov.uk/darkskygalloway


Yogi

WAXWINGS!

My day can't get any better than this, I was treated to a fantastically close up view of roughly a dozen waxwings on the way into the forest park this morning. Fantastic! They hung about for a couple of minutes and then flew off.

So if you're out and about in the forest park this week keep your eyes open for a bird that is rare, roughly starling size with a distinctive crest on its head. Pale rosy in colour and a real treat to spot.

Have a good day!
L

Dark Sky Park - Astro Fest

This weekend! Just a quick posting to let you know there is an Astronomy Festival happening in Galloway this weekend. There's heaps going on at various times and locations in Newton Stewart.

Talks, planetarium shows, comet making and night sky observing all weekend. For more information on the full programme visit www.forestry.gov.uk/darkskygalloway

Yogi

p.s who switched on winter? It's freezing out there! So if you're planning to join us this weekend, and I hope you are, then be sure to wrap up warm for night sky observing.

Event at Kirroughtree this weekend

Winter Craft Fair
Saturday 13th - Sunday 14th November and Saturday 27th - 28th November, 11.00am - 4.00pm

Looking for that special gift? Come along to Kirroughtree Visitor Centre to find an array of quality hand crafted goods all produced locally.
With a selection of candles, castles, Christmas decorations, knitwear, jewellery, photography, preserves, weaving and more; the craft fair offers something for all the family.

Yogi

Mmmm Yummy!

Come along to Kirroughtree visitor this weekend and treat your taste buds to an array of seriously good food. Local producers will be on hand to let you sample their produce and plenty of opportunity to buy a great selection to take home and enjoy later.

The event runs from 11am - 4pm both days. You could even make a day of it and bring your walking boots to enjoy the last of the Autumn colour. It's still looking pretty stunning out there but a few more windy days and I think the leaves will be off and that will be it until next year!

Yogi

Winter opening for Kirroughtree visitor centre

Kirroughtree visitor centre is now open weekends only and will close for the winter on Monday 13th December (last day open will be 12th December).

There is still plenty to do and each weekend there is an event on at the centre. This weekend is Savour the flavours of Dumfries and Galloway. Come along to sample and buy some yummy locally produced food direct from the producer.

For details on this event and other events coming up before Christmas visit our website www.forestry.gov.uk/gallowayforestpark and click on events.

Clatteringshaws and Glentrool visitor centres have now closed for the winter and will re-open April 2011.

Hope you're enjoying the fantastic show of Autumn colour in the forest park at the moment!

Yogi

Halloween

Halloween preparations are well under way and our first Halloween event, Lantern Making, starts today at 2pm. Come along to Kirroughtree visitor centre and make your very own pumpkin lantern to take home. Its a drop in session 2pm - 6pm. £3 per lantern. But hurry once they are gone, they are gone!

Then come back on Saturday night (30th October) for our main Halloween event. The evening starts at 6pm and includes a lantern parade competition at 6.15pm prompt, story telling, spooky puppet making, games, and not to forget the spooky walks through the woods!! The evening is then finished with a great firework display.
£4 adults £2.50 children £12 family ticket (2 adults and 2 children).
Sorry, strictly no dogs allowed.

Hope to see you there!

Yogi

Autumn colours!

Many areas in the Galloway Forest Park are starting to look truly stunning as the leaves of braodleaves and larch start to die back and produce some amazing colour.

We had a frosty morning a couple of days ago and I think that has really fired the trees into action. From my observations the silver birch seemed to turn first in many areas and the beech trees shortly followed. The oaks are starting to change and I think give it a few more days and by mid next week we will have a great colour show!

So if you have the weekend off then get those walking boots out and shuffle them through piles of dead leaves on a woodland path near you. If you do, lets us know which wood in the park you visited and what you enjoyed most about your autumn walk.

Happy Autumn everyone!

Yogi

Roaring Stags at the Deer Range

The fight for alpha male is almost up at the Red Deer Range and it would appear that Cameron had a tough battle on his hands this year with a younger male called Angus.

At one point it looked like the 10 year old Cameron was going to lose all of his collected hinds to a stag half his age and fierce fighting took place between the stags for over a week. With some battles lasting 20 minutes at a time the all important fight for top slot really takes its toll on each of the stags.

The stags eat very little during this time as they are far more concerned and preoccupied with constantly rounding up their hinds making sure they don't wander off or worse still another stag doesn't lure them away!

Angus did well and showed he is a fit and strong young male. Cameron may have won the hinds this year but I think he has a real challenger to be wary of for next.

Here are some pictures taken yesterday of Cameron and some of his hinds.

Yogi

Trail diversions at Glentrool, coming up.

Just to let you know that there will be a scheduled harvesting operation site due to start on
Thursday 21st October for a period of 8 weeks. All trails starting from the visitor centre will be effected, as too will the blue bike trail. Diversions will be in place.

So if you are planning to visit us a Glentrool in the next few weeks please consider this when planning your day.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and hope to have the trails back to normal asap.

Yogi

Morning Mist

We are now approaching the time when, following wet weather and a cool still night, the Forest Park is swathed in an early morning mist.

The rising sun creates some stunning landscapes when the light begins to shine through the mist, as per the photograph above.

With cones heavy on the trees, this is also a really good time to see Crossbills high in the canopy. Listen out for their high pitched calls as they move around in small groups feeding on the plentiful seeds.

Roaring Stags

It's coming to that time of the year when we wait with baited to breath to see who is going to become top stag at the Red Deer Range. Will it be Rannoch or will he loose out to one of the other stags in the range?

Come along and witness for yourself these magnificent animals at the most important time of their year. We can't promise a scuffle but there is likely to be some serious strutting going on not to mention the unmistakable vocals so haunting first thing in the morning along a misty glen.

Come and see us at the roaring stags event on Sunday 3rd October 10am start.

Adults £4, Under 16 £2.50, Conc. £3.50, Family £10 (2 adults and 2 children).

For more information contact our team on 01671 402 420 for directions log onto our website www.forestry.gov.uk/gallowayforestpark and follow the link for wildlife

Flooded path

Just to let you know that the short walk from Clatteringshaws visitor centre to Bruce's Stone is not accessible due to flooding. Clatteringshaws Loch is fuller than we've seen in a long while with the water now right up to the path at the roundhouse.

Bruce's Stone can still be accessed from the Bruce's Stone car park, just along from the visitor centre.

Yogi

Somewhere in a Galloway wood this weekend

Dont forget this weekend as part of Scottish Food Fortnght...

Join wild food enthusiast Mark Williams on a guided forage. Mark will teach you how to find, identify, pick and cook Chanterelles, Ceps and Hedgehog fungi.

Booking is essential please call Mark on 07900692478

Scottish Food Fortnight

THIS WEEKEND!

Food events this weekend in the Galloway Forest Park as part of Scottish Food Fortnight.

Kirroughtree visitor centre
Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th September 2010
10.30-4.30pm

Cream Tea for Two plus brand new flavours
Treat your taste buds this weekend at either Glentrool, Kirroughtree or Clatteringshaws visitor centres. Try new flavours from Ruthy’s scones: Cinnamon and Coffee, Cranberry and Orange, and Caramel Fudge. Ruth will be at Kirroughtree visitor centre over the weekend for visitors to try samples and buy from her full range of fresh scones.

Cupcakes with Kirstycakes
Learn all about the art of cupcake decorating as Kirsty shows you a variety of piping techniques. Demonstrations will take place every hour followed by a cupcake decorating workshop. A £2 charge will apply for participating in the workshop. Bookings will be taken on the day or book ahead to avoid disappointment as places are limited 07740 343 850.


Somewhere else in a Galloway Wood…..

Wild Food Forage
Join wild food enthusiast Mark Williams on a guided forage. Mark will teach you how to find, identify, pick and cook Chanterelles, Ceps and Hedgehog fungi.
Booking is essential please call Mark on 07900692478

Kirroughtree closed for a day.

Just to let you know that Kirroughtree visitor centre will be closed on Tuesday 14th September. This is so that Scottish Power Energy Networks can carry out essential work on the electricity distribution system in the area.

Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

Y

Galloway Woodfest, August 2010

Good numbers of people turned up on Sunday at Kirroughtree to enjoy the various displays of the Galloway Woodfest. The sun was a real bonus and helped to create a great atmosphere as well as promoting healthy sales of Ice Cream!

I hope the pictures give a feel of the day.

If you go down to the woods....

You will get to enjoy this year's Galloway Woodfestival!

This Sunday, 29th August, will see our 4th Galloway Woodfestival being held at Kirroughtree visitor centre and there is a whole host of activities lined up for you to enjoy.

• Puppet shows
• BIG forest machines
• Loch Ryan pipe band
• Gun dog demonstrations
• Orienteering being run by Solway Orienteers
• Bike skills being run by the Breakpad bike shop
• Outdoor activities being run by Dumfries and Galloway sport and leisure
• Dog agility sessions
• Archery

and loads more!

Come rain or shine we will be having fun this Sunday at Kirroughtree, I hope you can join us.

See you there!

Yogi

Entry costs are £4 Adult, £2.50 Child, £3.50 Concession, £10 family ticket (2adults, 2 children. For more information feel free to contact our team at the forest park office on 01671 402 420.

Clear skies brought great views

The meteor shower last Thursday evening was fantastic. At Glentrool between 3 and 4 hours of spectacular stargazing saw between 80 and 90 very, very clear meteors. There were lots going off all night but those were particularly good.

We weren't the only ones out enjoying this treat but lots of you headed to the many good viewing spots within the Galloway Forest Park to witness the show themselves.

We would love to hear your meteor shower stories and where in the Galloway Forest Park you watched it from. If you have any pictures you took of the night sky on Thursday that you would like to share that would be great too.

We hope you all had a very enjoyable evening.

Here's to the next!

Yogi

Bright lights come to Dark Skies

Perseids meteor shower is set to give a great show on Thursday 12th August night/Friday 13th morning .

Up to 60 meteors could be seen if the skies are clear. Look to the north east as this is where the meteors will be starting from, and stay well away from any street lights to get the best views.

Glentrool and Clatteringshaws are both good areas to observe from so long as you have good views north.

We'll hopefully get decent weather and be able to take some pictures which we'll pop on here.

Happy viewing!

Deer Range Diary

We thought you might like to see how Rannochs antlers are coming on. Well they are fully grown now and I'm sure you will agree look pretty good!

They are still covered with velvet which supplies blood to the growing antler. The Velvet will start dropping off soon helped by Rannoch, who will be rubbing his antlers on anything he comes across.

Our tours of the deer range are now in full swing. Sundays - Thursdays 10am start.

Here are a couple of photos taken recently, including Rannoch and his new antlers of course!

Happy holidays!

Yogi

Some temporary trail closures

Due to essential works a couple of trails will be closed for roughly a week so maintenance can be carried out. The trails affected are:

Cally horse trail
This trail is currently closed and we hope to have it reopened for Monday 2nd August.

Raiders road forest drive
The section of the forest drive closed is between Stroan Loch and the Otterpool.

Stroan loch car park is still accessible from the Mossdale end of the drive. We hope to be able to reopen this from Monday 2nd August.

Clatteringshaws to Otterpool is still open.

Go wild in Galloway!

We have some amazing opportunities to see some of Galloway's incredible wildlife.

The Red deer range is open now for the summer leading guided walks to see and meet Britain's largest land mammal, up close! Tours start at 10am Sunday - Thursdays and last roughly 1 1/2 hours. See Rannoch the alpha stag and meet the females along with their calves that were born in June. A truly memorable experience. £3.50 Adult £2.50 conc. under 16 £2.50 Family ticket (2 adults and 2 children) £10

Red kite minibus tours are also being led this year with the next due to go on the 8th August 10am - 3pm. FCS and RSPB staff will lead you around the Galloway red kite trail stopping at many points of interest to discover more about Galloway's red kite Reintroduction programme. Lunch at Clatteringshaws visitor centre is included. £30 Adult £15 Conc. To book you place call us on 01671 402 420.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Y

If you go down to the woods.....

...on Saturday.

Just a quick reminder that 10@Kirroughtree is taking place this weekend at Kirroughtree visitor centre. 10@Kirroughtree is a continuous 10 hour, 10 mile mountain bike race organised by no fuss. For more information on the event please log onto www.nofussevents.co.uk

The event will include parts of the blue and red route out as far as the start of the 'White Witch'. The way marked trails will still be open but please give way to the 500+ competitors taking part.

Diversions: Green route closed 10 July 2010

Have a good weekend
Y

Flitting about Fritillaries

The warm weather in Galloway recently has been great for spotting sun loving insects. Golden ringed dragonflies are on the wing along with my first sightings of the season of small pearl bordered fritillaries! Their colour and patterns are amazing especially in the warm afternoon sun as they went from thistle to thistle in search of nectar.

The flowers weren't fully open so they didn't stop for long on any one plant.

If you are near any of our three visitor centres and spot any butterflies pop in and add your sightings to our wildlife board. You can see what other visitors have spotted on their walks too!

Bye for now

Y

Deer calf and nosebag

This clip, taken by Hugh the red deer ranger, sees the new calf at the deer range appearing while the others are feeding. Look out too for one of the deers' "hello mum" moment towards the end.

I'm tripod, pleased to meet you!

At the Red Deer Range on Wednesday I caused great interest amongst the hinds. Well not me but my camera and tripod! One hind came straight up to me to inspect my lens and then with her friend went over to my tripod. Almost immediately it was being sniffed and licked by two very curious deer.

After a couple of nose prods the tripod fell over but that didn't put them off and they continued to inspect every bit of it.

I got these photos which I thought you might like to see.

Have a good bank holiday weekend

Yogi

It's all about location

The swallows that have nested at Glentrool visitor centre for the last few years are back and have started on home decorations already! They have been around for a couple of weeks and staff at Glentrool were unsure whether they would take up residency in last years nest as the birds didn't seem that interested in it and they started checking out other possible locations.

However after a few days they made their minds up, they have settled with last years location and have set about tackling repairs and making it cosy for the little ones that wont be far off.

We have a little camera set up on the nest with live footage beamed back into the centre for you to enjoy whilst you stop for lunch or just a wee refreshment break.

Will post some pictures when we have them.

Good luck swallows!
Yogi

Isn't nature incredible!

A few weeks ago I mentioned that Rannoch, one of the red deer stags at the deer range, had cast his antlers. well, they have started to grow back and are really taking shape. We thought you might like to see what he looks like just now, so Hugh the range manager has been out with his camera.

You will notice that Rannochs antlers still have quite a bit of growing to do and that what he does have is covered in what looks like velvet. This covering will eventually fall off once the antlers are fully grown. Rannoch will find a natural feature like a tree or large rock and rub his antlers against it. This velvet will then rub off and he will then rub his antlers in the mud to make them look more dull and not bright white, like bone.

Ill post another photo when Rannochs antlers have grown a bit more. The size of his antlers last year were very impressive so I'm looking forward to seeing them fully grown this year!

Yogi

Was that who I thought it was?!

Staff at our Clatteringshaws visitor centre were very excited recently when they heard their first Cuckoo of the season. I was at the Deer Range today and heard my first of the season too which was brilliant!

Many of the visiting warblers are being very vocal just now too including willow warblers, chiff chaffs and black caps.

A great orchestra of bird song is going on out there and with a bank holiday weekend coming up there is no excuse but to get out there and enjoy it!

Y

Basking in the sun

Hope you have had a great weekend, the weather has been brilliant for getting out there and enjoying the forest park!

The recent warm weather has led to a few Adder sightings in various locations across the forest park. Please take care whilst exploring and be especially mindful of this if enjoying the countryside with your 4 legged friends.

If you come across an Adder do not approach it and leave it where it is. Adders won't attack unless they feel threatened so give it plenty of space and walk on past. Because they are cold blooded they warm up using the heat of the sun and then once 'fully charged' they head off to hunt for small rodents and lizards. They are not interested in us and purely defend themselves when they think they are under threat, e.g accidentally stepped on or handled.

What to do if you or you dog is bitten:

If your dog is bitten, or you suspect your dog has been bitten, take it to the vets immediately.

If you or a family member has been bitten seek medical attention immediately.

The Adder is the UKs only venomous snake, they are native and protected by law.

Yogi

Stop... look.... listen........great isnt it!

The dawn Chorus is in full swing now as each male bird goes about defending his territory and trying to attract a mate.

From the wren with their very loud and full hearted trill to the gentler flutey sound of the robin the crisp spring air is full of song. Add to that the warmth of the sunshine and the smell of freshly cut grass and I'm in sensory heaven!

Clatteringshaws is usually a great place to hear visiting willow warblers at this time of the year, which are very distinctive with their descending tune. Pull in and enjoy a gentle stroll along the short trail to Bruce's stone, its not far and delivers a real audio treat.

Yogi

Pretty flowers above your head.

If you find yourself out for a stroll in your local woodland this Easter weekend then look out for some flower buds on the path beneath your feet.

Look for redish purple flowers on the path under larch trees. These are the tiny female flowers from the larch which will develop into the small cones we often see hanging from their branches during the winter.

When you have found some larch flowers on the ground, look up. you should be able to see the very same flowers growing on the tree. The ones on the ground have most likely blown off due to the high winds we have had recently.

There are lots of larch along the trail at Penninghame pond.

Have a great Easter! Maybe we will see some of you at our Easter event this Sunday at Kirroughtree!

Yogi

Pictures of Rannoch

As promised - pictures of Rannoch without his antlers!

Nature is Amazing!

Every year the male stags 'cast' their antlers, which basically means their antlers drop off. This is very important in the deer's annual cycle as it means broken antlers can be discarded and be replaced by new, bigger antlers which they need during the rut.

Our first male to cast is Rannoch, he cast his antlers just a couple of days ago on the 21st March. He will shortly start to grow his new antlers which will only take between 3 and 4 months!!

Rannoch looks a bit silly just now, but you wait and see.

We will pop up regular photos of Rannoch so you can see how his new antlers are coming on.

Yogi

Hop, skip or stroll....

..... but please don't stand on the frogs!

It's that time of the year when frogs search out any pond, pool or puddle to lay thousands of tiny eggs. If you are out and about exploring the woods in the next couple of weeks, particularly near ponds and lochs, please keep a watchful eye on the ground ahead. There may be a well camouflaged, smooth skinned amphibian crossing your path to find a suitable egg laying location.

Is it a frog or is it a toad? Frogs have smooth skin and toads have rough looking warty skin.

So keep on the look out, you may be lucky and see one.... or more!

Yogi

Spring has Sprung, surely?!

I'm convinced spring has arrived, yes its still a little chilly but the bird song in the woods today and frogs busily laying eggs in pools of water means, in my book, spring is here and that's something to get excited about!

Penninghame Pond was particularly nice this afternoon, woodpeckers, tree creepers and long tailed tits all flitting from tree to tree.

Another good trail to visit at the moment is Barhill Woods in Kirkcudbright. Its quite a short trail but if you stop to watch the birds and take photos like I do it could take around 45 minutes.

Enjoy!

Yogi

Visitor centres open this Thursday!

Just a quick note to remind you that our 3 visitor centres, Clatteringshaws, Kirroughtree and Glentrool re open for the 2010 season on Thursday the 11th March.

With the great weather we have been having recently you will soon be able to enjoy one of our many waymarked forest trails and then relax in our tea room with a well earned cup of tea and slice of cake! mmmmm perfect!

We look forward to seeing you soon

Yogi

Congratulations!

We are very excited by the arrival of some very cute looking baby goats (kids) at our wild goat park along the Queensway! They are very shy but you should get a glimpse from the car park.

We have taken a couple of pictures to share with you here.

All together now... aaaawwwwww!!! Cute huh!

Pictures all taken by Hugh Gunning our wildlife ranger.

Have a great weekend

Yogi

Harvesting at Glentrool

Just a quick post to let you know/remind you that there are a couple of harvestings sites in operation at glentrool at the moment.

One site is just above the visitor centre and will be active for roughly a month. The other site is along the Southern Upland Way, the south side of Loch Trool.

Please follow the advice on the ground and adhere to all warning signs and diversions. They are there for your safety and the saftey of our staff.

Enjoy your visit.

Yogi

Winter in the Woods!

A walk through the woods at any time of the year can be a real treat as there is always something different to see. At the moment the hardy Snowdrop has broken through the hard ground and is lighting up the forest floor, delivering hope that spring is just around the corner.

A really good place to see Snowdrops just now is at Cally woods, Gatehouse of Fleet. There is an interpretation board in the car park that shows you where the best displays in Cally are.

I love the woods at this time of the year, with the broadleaves bare of leaves, wildlife watching is so much easier. As the familiar orchestra of bird song starts to fill the air again, for me its like catching up with friends you haven't seen for ages as our resident feathered friends start to occupy territory and make their plans to impress a potential mate and settle down for Spring. Nature really is amazing and there is no better way to enjoy it then to get your walking boots on and experience it first hand.

Enjoy!

Yogi