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September 2000
Perhaps the unplanned happenings in life give the most pleasure. This summer's holiday in Galloway, Scotland, seemed to prove this view. While the framework of our holiday was carefully planned, within that structure we were open to what presented itself. We were not disappointed.
We happened onto an exhibition on medieval life. The highlight for us was a demonstration of falconry, a sport still practiced today where falcons and other birds of prey are trained and used for hunting. Because of the torrential downpours, blithely described in the weather forecasts as occasional showers, the falconer stood with eight birds in an open barn area. Being so close to these wild things was exhilarating - and the gentleman in his period garb emphasized that they remain wild no matter how long they are in training. Watching these birds scrutinize the human audience, I felt a bit like prey myself.
While we stayed near a loch we enjoyed the wetland wildlife. Species of goldeneye, wigeon, and duck were abundant. Each evening we watched a grebe walk around on the lily pads near shore, making small sounds as it collected grasses for its nest. On the loch, the swans were with signets. We were surprised to see one black swan that, we were told, may have flown over from Europe. Fishing is allowed but at nesting time people are asked to avoid the edges of the loch, where the nesting habitat is located.
A thrilling sight was a golden eagle, fifteen feet from us, standing on the verge of a brook. As it pushed off the ground, its powerful wings lifting it into the air, I saw the feathered legs. When we mentioned this siting to acquaintances, they were pleased. They explained the extreme pressure on all birds of prey in Britain, because eggs and nestlings are regularly stolen from nests to sell, illegally, in the Near and Middle East for falconry. Most of the stolen nestlings and eggs do not survive the process.
We arrived in a small conservation village early one Sunday morning and walked into the hotel. A man told us that there was a garden tour in the village that afternoon. What we call a yard, these folks call a garden, and in fact the grounds of most homes are intensively planted and have very little lawn. At one o'clock, we queued up in front of the town hall for our tickets and a walking map to eight homes. The hedgerows, lining every path, road and yard, created a connected landscape and were alive with birds.
Each house, close to others but buffered from them by greenery and flowers, seemed to float in its own paradise. Many of the plants were familiar to us. The size of the plants, however, was astonishingly large. Hedgerows of fuchsia were eight feet tall and full of blooms. There were rhododendron trees, not shrubs. It was told to me, several times, how the Gulf Stream influences the temperature of the area, making it warmer in winter and cooler in summer.
The village is in a river valley, with hills shouldering into the yards. Two of the gardens were terraced into the hillsides, feats of engineering and years of hard work. At one home, the garden featured perennial flowerbeds, rock gardens, and four water gardens. The owner talked with us about the wildlife using the ponds, especially frogs, salamanders and birds.
Stone and brick walls were everywhere, providing support for vines, protection from winds, privacy and a counterpoint to the plant life. It seemed everyone did container gardening, even when the landscape itself was planted. The containers, ranging from ancient artifacts to recent manufactures, added interest and a civilized feeling.
Scotland is full of grand gardens open to the public, but this quiet exploration was more precious to us. These were personal landscapes. We talked with the gardeners and they were people like my husband and me. We came home with many ideas for enhancing our backyard habitat; I mean our garden habitat. The serendipity of our adventures was not lost on us.
By Nancy Coverstone (ncstone@umext.maine.edu), University of Maine Extension Educator in Androscoggin and Sagadahoc Counties
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