Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘dumfries’

Starling Flash Mob

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 7, 2014| 2 Comments »

Photo: PA/Owen Humphries
Murmuration of starlings over Gretna, Scotland

Starlings swarm in flash mobs over Scotland every November and February, and they don’t even need social media to remind them it’s time.

According to an article at the BBC, “Tens of thousands of the birds are regularly seen around this time of year near the Dumfries and Galloway town. It is one of the most famous locations for the natural spectacle, the reason for which is not definitively known.

“A survey of the birds across the UK is currently under way with members of the public urged to record sightings. The poll, conducted by the University of Gloucestershire and the Society of Biology, is the first of its kind and has already received more than 600 reports from Cornwall to John O’Groats.

“Dr Anne Goodenough, reader in applied ecology at Gloucestershire University, said: ‘One of the theories behind the murmurations is that it means they are safer from predators such as hawks and falcons.

” ‘Another theory could be they are signalling a large roost and it could be a way of attracting other birds to that area to build up a big flock as it would be warmer. It’s much warmer to roost as a big group rather than a smaller one and the murmurations can be as big as 100,000 birds.’ ”

More here. Don’t miss the other amazing photos at the BBC site.

YouTube video: DylanWinter@virgin.net

Read Full Post »

The Arts in Scotland

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on December 26, 2012| Leave a Comment »

When people click “like” at one of my entries, I go look at their site. Often I find that we share interests. Art is one interest.

Katie J. Anderson clicked “like” for the post “Art in the Exurbs.” I think she is an artist in Scotland.

Her WordPress blog, here, led me further, to an artists’ cooperative blog where she volunteers time. The site is the Commonty, which in Scottish law is a “common; a piece of land in which two or more persons have a common right.”

Following Ariadne’s thread from one blog to another can confuse a person. Thus, the Commonty took me to “The Stove,” which the site says emphatically is not the Commonty although TheStove’s home page also seems to be the Commonty’s.

Perhaps confusion is a hazard of a blog run by many people. I dug some more and found this: “an artists collective from SouthWest Scotland, The Stove is occupying a 3 storey building in the heart of Dumfries as the HQ for an adventure that asks useful questions about the role of a southern regional capital in contemporary Scotland.”

Which doesn’t sound that different from this: “The Commonty was formed, and is run entirely, by working creative people on a voluntary basis – we have nobody’s remit or priorities except our own.

“We are committed to the vision of Dumfries and Galloway as a region whose character is significantly shaped by the creative people and projects that are based here — we see a vital spark in the interconnections between our environment and culture, making this the place that we want to live, and a place that we are proud of.”

In a recent post, the Commonty notes with pride: “The Theatre Royal, Lochside Theatre, and The Stove have received funding from Creative Scotland as part of a national programme which helps organisations carry out refurbishments and purchase equipment.”

Does someone from Dumfries or Galloway want to tell me more?

Photograph of Lochside Theatre at http://thecommonty.blogspot.com/

Read Full Post »