The frost laden air hung like a white cloak across the spruces of Blairadam forest; such a still and haunting place. But the ethereal atmosphere of this woodland near Kelty was soon broken by a gentle and rather metallic repetitive call, which reminded me a bit of clinking wine glasses.
The noise gradually grew louder and over the trees bounded a small party of crossbills that quickly alighted on the top of a towering spruce. I brought them into focus through my binoculars but no sooner had I done so than they were away again.
I gave a weary sigh, one I have no doubt repeated many times over the years whenever a creature I have just spotted suddenly disappears. But that’s life – and for crossbills such brief encounters are typical as they are restless by nature and seldom stay still for long.
Crossbills are handsome birds, especially the males with their vibrant brick-red plumage and deep bills that has led to them sometimes being likened to parrots. They are also one of our most specialist feeders, with their unique crossed-over bills specially designed to extract the seeds from pine cones.
It is only in recent times that it has come to light that Scotland hosts three distinct species of crossbill, including one that is found nowhere else in the world. I don’t have the expertise to tell them apart with certainty as they all look so similar, although the ones I had just seen in this little corner of Fife were almost certainly common crossbills and most likely winter visitors from northern Europe.
Blairadam is a vast expanse of conifer plantation but with a good mix of open spaces and other types of trees, including beech. Such woods are silent places, especially in winter when thin wisps of mist cling to the tree tops and all you can hear is the gentle puff of your breath.
But such quietness belies the life that resides within. Not long after spotting the crossbills, a brown blurry missile launched itself from the verge of the track and followed the avenue of pines before side swerving back into the trees. It was a woodcock, a bird shrouded in myth and folklore. And perhaps an entirely appropriate encounter, given that Blairadam has its own mysteries yet to be explained.
Over the years there have been several ‘big cat’ sightings in this wood, the so-called ‘beast of Blairadam’. Maybe it really is a puma or some other wild cat. Or is it just confusion with a large roaming dog? Whatever the case, the beast has gained near legendary status.
I enjoyed this verse from a poem paying homage to the beast penned by Kelty man Jim Douglas. ‘Wan nicht wis awfy eerie/Ah wis walkinʼ wae ma dearie/All at once we heard a horrid howl/It really wis sae frightninʼ/Jist like bein struck by lightninʼ/But Mary said, heʼs lonely, the pair sowl’.
Info
The three different crossbill species in Scotland are the common crossbill, parrot crossbill and Scottish crossbill. Male crossbills are red in colour, females are greenish.
