Keith Broomfield

3 weeks ago | alloaadvertiser.com | Keith Broomfield

I felt a twinge of sadness, for I knew that only a few days previously this mother would have had up to ten ducklings in her brood, but now most had perished. The River Devon, like any river, is an incredibly hazardous place for ducklings because of the ever-present threat from mink, otters, gulls, crows, and buzzards. Mink are a particular threat, a non-native species from North America that is widespread throughout much of Scotland.

4 weeks ago | alloaadvertiser.com | Keith Broomfield

The hawthorn can be fickle in its flowering, some years prolific and inspiring, in others less so, and the amount of blossom is probably dependent on external factors such as the temperature in late winter and spring. Individual trees also seem to have their own flowering idiosyncrasies – some always verdant with blossom, while others are more sparsely adorned. The hawthorn is a bedrock of the countryside, underpinning so much other life throughout the year.

1 month ago | alloaadvertiser.com | Keith Broomfield

7 1/1 The lilting song of a garden warbler drifted out from the depths of a bramble tangle by the banks of the River Devon near Tillicoultry, but no matter how closely I scrutinised the twisted, heavily thorned thicket, there was no sign of the elusive warbler. Then, up he fluttered to perch on top of the dome of a nearby hawthorn, his warm brown body catching the warm afternoon sun.

1 month ago | alloaadvertiser.com | Keith Broomfield

Then, a fish-flicker in the white-frothed spume, and the heron’s dagger-like bill jabbed forward in a flash and pulled back with a wriggling trout firmly clasped between its yellow mandibles. Satisfied with its efforts, the heron juggled the fish briefly before swallowing it head-first. As I wandered further along edge of the River Devon estuary, sweeps of white-frosted ramsons (wild garlic) adorned the track edge, but soon my progress was stopped by a harsh cackling up in some nearby pines.

1 month ago | alloaadvertiser.com | Keith Broomfield

7 1/1 The woods at Linn Mill near Clackmannan are always a fine place to be, and no more so than at this time of year because of the male blackbirds delivering with passion their melodic songs at dawn and dusk. This is no solo act, but rather a musical chorus joined by song thrushes, robins and many other birds. It is a special time of year, and no matter where you are in Clackmannanshire, our spring songsters are making their presence felt.