2023
Sunday 16th April
Argaty Red Kites, Doune
Bring your picnic lunch along and enjoy it in the company of red squirrels and woodland birds from 12 noon to 1:30pm. Following that from 1.45pm to 3.15pm we will have a ranger-led visit to the main Red Kite hide when they put out food for the birds. The ranger will stay and tell the rollercoaster history of Kites in Scotland while we enjoy the spectacle as the birds dive for their food. Cost around £10 per session. Advance booking required.
2023
Sunday 30th April
PNHS and GNHS Joint Outing at Brownside Braes, Paisley
Outing led by Tom Byars. The purpose of this trip is to conduct survey work on Brownside Braes to look/listen for Lesser Whitethroats which start to arrive on their breeding territories at this time of year (Spring migration). Although the chances of encountering Lesser Whitethroat in Renfrewshire are very slim, the task of surveying is extremely vital in our study.
Brownside Braes plays host to other bird species and is important locally for Willow Warbler, Song Thrush, Bullfinch & Linnet.
Meet in the Brownside Farm carpark, Caplethill Road, Paisley, PA2 7TR (NS 48887 60692) at 10am.
2023
Sunday 21st May
Looking for Green Hairstreak butterflies at Sergeantlaw Moss, Paisley
Kirsty Menzies will be leading this walk to look for Green Hairstreak Butterflies at Sergeantlaw Moss, Gleniffer Braes, Paisley (marked with a green symbol on the map). We’ll also look at the botany and other insect-life on the moss.
Meet in the car park along from the electricity substation on Gleniffer Road (as shown by the orange marker on the map) at 2:30pm. Please ensure that you wear appropriate footwear and clothing. The moss is very boggy and the ground is rough and undulating.
2023
Sunday 11th June
Wildlife recording bioblitz at Jenny’s Well Nature Reserve, Paisley
Kirsty Menzies will be leading this walk round Jenny’s Well Local Nature Reserve to identify and record the wildlife we see. Bring your binoculars, ID guides and mobile phones along and get spotting. Mixed interest in this woodland and grassland site on the banks of the White Cart river.
Meet at the green container at the entrance to the reserve at the bottom of Todholm Road (as shown by the green marker on the map) at 2:30pm. On-street parking is available on Todholm Road or a bit further away on Jenny’s Well Road (both marked with orange parking symbols on the map).
Read the report on this outing with list of species seen/heard.
2023
Thursday 6th July
Beginners’ Botany Walk at Thornly Park, Paisley
Michael Philip will be leading this walk to help beginners get started in plant identification. We will walk round the grassland beside South Avenue and look at some of the grasses and wildflowers in the woodlands, grassland and along the burn. Michael will share lots of useful tips and information on the key features to look at for plant identification.
Bring along your wildflower guides and handlenses, if you have them, and prepare to be inspired.
Meet on South Avenue along from no. 22 (as shown by the orange marker on the map) at 6:30pm.
2023
Thursday 3rd August
and
Friday 4th August
Looking for Purple Hairstreak butterflies at Shaw Wood
Kirsty Menzies will be leading this walk to look for Purple Hairstreak Butterflies in Shaw Wood, Dykebar, Paisley. This is an unusual species of butterfly as it actively flies in the early evening high in the canopy of mature oak trees. As a result it is widely under-recorded. Bring your binoculars and scopes for a chance of seeing them.
Meet in the grounds of Dykebar Hospital. As you enter, go straight past the car parking area and follow signs for Ward 20 (as shown by the orange marker on the map). We will meet at 6:30pm. Please ensure that you wear appropriate footwear and clothing. The walk has some rough tracks and gentle inclines.
The weather looks that it will be dry for the walk. It is being repeated on the Friday as it may be the better weather evening for the butterflies to be on the wing. Come either evening or both!
Paisley Natural History Society 