Walks in the Forest

My September sojourn back to my old haunts in this area proved to be a delightful experience.

I saw a comma butterfly in Strathyre on several occasions and as I had not seen one so far north before, I was quite excited.

I spent at least four hours every day walking in the forest around Strathyre and could hear and see crossbills moving around in the trees and feeding on the seeds of cones. One day as I walked along a path that was fairly high up the hill, my dog was following interesting scents and I kept giving my usual two short notes on the whistle to bring him back and when I was reaching the end of the path a bird, perched high in a tree and not possible for me to identify, was singing the exact same notes at regular intervals.

One of my greatest pleasures was walking to Don MacCaskill's stones and saw the excellent sign for the walk in the forest and also the new information board. The Forestry Commission must be congratulated for the money and manpower it has provided to erect the stones and to install the useful notices. They are a fitting tribute to a very special man who had a great influence on many people involved in conservation and wildlife management. I met tourists who were gaining pleasure from walking the path and learning about Don from the notice board. It is worth mentioning that Irwin Campbell, who was involved with the work on the broch in Strathyre, carved the cup and ring marks on the stones. I hope that many local people will keep the path open by walking it regularly and enjoying Don's beloved forest.

Aquila
alias Kath Egerton